Recently in Public Category

The upcoming sale of California state bonds for its unprecedented stem cell research effort raises anew a $700 million question along with allegations of deceit in the campaign for Prop. 71, the measure that created the Golden State program.

On the surface, the matters involve an arcane financial issue. Can California sell non-taxable bonds to finance the activities of CIRM or must they be taxable. If they are taxable (meaning the dividends are taxable to buyers), the state will have to offer a higher interest rate to purchasers. That, according to one estimate, could mean as much as $700 million in additional costs to the state.

<a href="http://californiastemcellreport.blogspot.com/2007/09/stem-cell-bonds-royalties-and-campaign.html">
Stem Cell Bonds, Royalties and Campaign Promises
</a> (californiastemcellreport.blogspot.com)

"We hope this will become a regional cornerstone for human embryonic stem cell research," said Dr. Margaret Goodell, professor of pediatrics and molecular and human genetics at Baylor.

The money will fund four major scientific projects and three core areas of work including training scientists, conducting pilot projects and genetic modification of stem cell lines.

"This project offers the promise of synergism in research by getting great people to work together," said Goodell, adding that everyone involved in the project worked together on the grant proposal.

<a href="http://www.bizjournals.com/houston/stories/2007/09/03/daily9.html
"> Baylor, M.D. Anderson to share in $8.7M grant</a> (bizjournals.com)

At the urging of Gov. Charlie Crist, the Florida Legislature is poised to take up a bill on stem cell research. The bill calls for $20 million in state funding for adult stem cell research, and the fact that Florida wants to help with the advancement of adult stem cell research is noble--but the bill goes one step further. It forever bans any state funding for the more controversial research into embryonic stem cell research.

<a href="http://cbs4.com/topstories/local_story_108220554.html">DeFede: Fla. Enters Embryonic Stem Cell Debate</a> (cbs4.com)

State lawmakers approved $600 million to be used towards stem cell research over 11 years as part of the budget enacted this weekend. $100 million of that will be used this year.

<a href="http://www.9wsyr.com/news/local/story.aspx?content_id=4d6fa5e8-8915-4531-91b0-b1dff1495b15">State Budget Approves Money for Stem Cell Research</a> (9wsyr.com)

With money to spread around, the House this week began debating the state budget, with battles over college funding, medical care for the poor and support for life sciences.

The strong economy is expected to produce an extra $28 million in sales taxes for public schools, additional lottery revenue and enough new money from other sources to pay for a $130 million income tax cut for those receiving Social Security benefits.

<a href="http://www.kansascity.com/mld/kansascity/news/local/16989742.htm">Stem-cell research is focus of Missouri budget battle</a> (KIT WAGAR, kansascity.com)

Advanced Cell Applauds $3 Billion Stem Cell Research Program, Proposition 71, Upheld Monday By A California Appeals Court

Advanced Cell Technology, Inc. applauds the $3 Billion Stem Cell Research Program, Proposition 71, upheld Monday by a California appeals court. In a unanimous 3-0 ruling judges said Proposition 71 “suffers from no constitutional or other legal infirmity.”

William M. Caldwell, IV, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Advanced Cell Technology, commented, “California’s Proposition 71 may be the world’s largest single backer of research in stem cells. We believe a capital infusion could dramatically benefit the stem cell industry, and will fund translational programs, designed to enter the clinic in the near term. We are very proud of Governor Schwarzenegger and California’s leadership in helping to maintain a competitive environment for commercial research and development in the stem cell field. We are also fortunate to be headquartered in the great state of California as Advanced Cell works to accelerate its stem cell therapies to the bedside.”

<a href="http://www.huliq.com/13491/advanced-cell-applauds-3-billion-stem-cell-research-program">Advanced Cell Applauds $3 Billion Stem Cell Research Program</a> (huliq.com)

Just £300,000 (about $600k) is being plugged into a national public debate by the UK government on stem cell research. According to Science and Innovation Minister Malcolm Wicks the UK’s two major public funders of stem cell research will use the cash to run a national public discussion about this cutting-edge area of science.

<a href="http://www.sciencebase.com/science-blog/mass-debate-on-stem-cell-research.html">Mass debate on stem cell research</a> (sciencebase.com)

The word went out this weekend from China to Syracuse: California stands No. 1 in embryonic stem cell research in the United States and, and by at least one account, perhaps in the world.


The occasion, of course, was the approval of $45 million in research grants by the California stem cell agency.

The event generated enormous amounts of favorable publicity worldwide for CIRM and for the cause of ESC research. Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger  stood before TV cameras and declared that ESC researchers are "the new action heroes."

His theme carried through on San Francisco television station KGO, which aired a more than two-minute-long report by David Louie with loads of sympathetic images of disabled persons and film of confidence-inspiring lab work. Smiles abounded, including some from Roman Reed, who is paralyzed as the result of an injury.

<a href="http://californiastemcellreport.blogspot.com/2007/02/new-action-heroes-win-millions-in-esc_17.html">"New Action Heroes" Win Millions in ESC Research Grants </a> (californiastemcellreport.blogspot.com)

We should never be surprised when libertarians weigh in with radical questioning of the status quo. It is, as it were, their function. And the stronger the status quo, the more valuable the questioning.

So the op-ed in today's NY Times (regional opinions) on public funding of science and technology, by Sigrid Fry-Revere of the Cato Institute, is to be welcomed. She points out, among other things, that most medical research in the US is not funded by the NIH, and lauds the market as the place where funding will be found for worthy ideas. Her special focus is the question of public funding for stem cell research, and she is critical of California's mutli-bullion dollar effort and supportive of states that merely ensure it is legal so private funders can come up with the cash.

This makes a certain amount of sense, although the example she picks is a poor one. While some private institutions have been funding embryonic stem cell research, there is so little funding from for-profit corporations that I could state in the San Francisco Chronicle (a week or two before the vote on Prop. 71 in 2004) that the market had valued this research at close to $0 - without fear of my being proved wrong.

<a href="http://choosingtomorrow.blogspot.com/2007/02/hard-questions-on-public-funding-of.html">Hard Questions on the Public Funding of Science </a> (Nigel Cameron, choosingtomorrow.blogspot.com)

Newly released figures from the February 5 budget indicate that from 2003 to 2006, the Bush administration spent $122 million on human embryonic stem-cell research. Estimates in spending for 2007 and 2008 are $37 million per year for the same purpose. ??The $122 million was spent specifically on research with stem cell lines derived from experimentation with live human embryos which resulted in their deaths. ?Through the National Institutes of Health, the Bush administration also funded human non-embryonic (adult) stem-cell research at higher levels. From 2003-2006, the Bush administration spent $799 million on such research. Non-human (animal) embryonic and non-embryonic stem cell research was also funded in the hundreds of millions.? A few days before the President was to address the January 22 March for Life, White House spokesman Tony Snow addressed reporters on the subject of stem-cell research. Responding to questions about embryonic stem cell research, Snow stressed that President George W. Bush "is the only President in American history who has ever made available for researchers embryonic stem cell lines, which he did back in 2001."??Snow also pointed out in the press briefing that the media frequently falsely allege that the President made human embryonic stem-cell research illegal. "Furthermore, the President has not outlawed-- as often as seemed to be allege -- he's not outlawed embryonic stem cell research," he said.

<a href="http://www.cwnews.com/news/viewstory.cfm?recnum=49141">Under Bush, $122 million for embryonic stem-cell research  </a> (cwnews.com)