California Agency Releases 10-Year Plan For Spending $3B On Embryonic Stem Cell

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California Agency Releases 10-Year Plan For Spending $3B On Embryonic

Stem Cell Research

http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/medicalnews.php?newsid=53485

The California Institute for Regenerative Medicine -- which is in

charge of implementing the 10-year, $2.95 billion state human

embryonic stem cell research program approved under Proposition 71 --

on Wednesday released a draft spending plan that " sets a strikingly

modest tone " for outcomes of the research, the San Francisco

Chronicle reports (Hall, San Francisco Chronicle, 10/5).

Under the plan, about $823 million would be spent on basic stem cell

research; $899 million would be allocated for preclinical or applied

research; $656 million would be spent on conducting clinical trials

on potential treatments; and $273 million would be given to research

institutions to construct laboratories in which none of the equipment

was funded by NIH (Wade, New York Times, 10/5).

Federal funding for embryonic stem cell research is allowed only for

research using embryonic stem cell lines created on or before Aug. 9,

2001, under a policy announced by President Bush on that date (Kaiser

Daily Women's Health Policy Report, 9/7). CIRM's goal in the next 10

years is to obtain " proof of principle " through a midstage clinical

trial that a stem cell therapy could restore functions lost by a

particular disease (San Francisco Chronicle, 10/5).

It also aims to initiate early stage trials for two to four

additional treatments through its research (New York Times,

10/5). " One of the points really is to try to educate people about

what a long process it is to get any 'therapeutic' approved, " CIRM

President Zach Hall said, adding that although the agency plans to

work with private businesses on research and funding for late-stage

trials, it might take 15 years for a CIRM-funded treatment to be

approved (, San Mercury News, 10/4).

The plan -- which was developed over the last 10 months by a select

committee -- will be presented next week for approval to a meeting of

the Independent Citizens Oversight Committee, CIRM's governing board.

According to the San Diego Union-Tribune, the committee is expected

to revise the plan and adopt it at its meeting in December (Somers,

San Diego Union-Tribune, 10/4).