09/02/2010
The 2009 economic stimulus package provided NIH with more than $8 billion to fund biomedical research, but that program will stop at the end of September. NIH's yearly grant budget may drop by 15%, and scientists and university officials are concerned that some research programs will be affected. Bloomberg/San Francisco Chronicle.
09/01/2010
Obama administration officials have asked a federal judge to lift a temporary ban on federal funding for embryonic stem cell research, saying that it could jeopardize millions of dollars for such research and prevent scientific breakthroughs. Washington Post's "The Checkup" et al.
08/26/2010
U.S. District Judge Royce Lambert's recent ruling to block federal funding of embryonic stem cell research "could not only jeopardize American medical science but the health of millions of patients worldwide" because the ruling "omits the fact that embryonic stem cells have great promise in treating diseases for which there is otherwise little hope, and his ruling will seriously delay the quest for cures," a Los Angeles Times editorial states. Meanwhile, a San Francisco Chronicle editorial argues that the Obama administration is rightly "planning an appeal" and that Congress should "easily clarify things by simply passing a stem cell funding bill." Los Angeles Times, San Francisco Chronicle.
08/25/2010
Federal officials will appeal a ruling issued Monday that temporarily blocks federal funding for embryonic stem cell research. Meanwhile, lawmakers are discussing legislation that would address stem cell research, and scientists are considering other avenues of funding. New York Times et al.
08/24/2010
On Monday, a U.S. district judge ruled that the federal government cannot fund embryonic stem cell research because doing so would violate a law that protects against the destruction of human embryos. The White House did not comment on the ruling. New York Times et al.
08/20/2010
The California Institute for Regenerative Medicine will provide up to $243 million to fund 14 "disease teams" that will try to set up clinical trials for treatments based on stem cell research. The research is expected to focus on cures for diseases, such as Alzheimer's and diabetes, and for spinal cord injuries. San Francisco Business Times.
08/03/2010
Last week, FDA announced that it had lifted a hold on the world's first human test of a treatment derived from embryonic stem cells. Experts are calling the trial -- developed by Geron Corporation and UC-Irvine -- a turning point for health research, as it will provide the first look at safety and efficacy of embryonic stem cells. New York Times, Contra Costa Times.
06/23/2010
The California Institute for Regenerative Medicine has awarded $25 million to 19 projects aimed at addressing immune rejection of transplanted stem cells. CIRM was formed after California voters approved Proposition 71 to fund stem cell research in 2004. San Francisco Business Times.
06/22/2010
On Monday, NIH denied a request to approve an additional 42 human embryonic stem cell lines for use by federally funded researchers, ruling that such use violated strict new ethical guidelines. NIH's decision means only researchers using private funding will be allowed to work on those lines. NIH Director Francis Collins did approve the use of eight other new stem cell lines by federally funded researchers. A total of 75 stem cell lines now are eligible for federal funding. Washington Post.
06/16/2010
After three years of negotiations, Palo Alto-based StemCells will allow Children's Hospital of Orange County use of its technology to extract stem cells. Under the agreement, the hospital can use the StemCells technology to extract, grow and use neural stem cells for noncommercial purposes. The company previously had objected to a hospital researcher's use of the technology and his donation of extracted cells to other scientists. San Jose Mercury News.
05/25/2010
Children's Hospital of Orange County has halted stem cell research over a patent claim by StemCells, a Palo Alto biotech company. The San Jose Mercury News notes that the dispute "illustrates how the commercialization of stem-cell science is creating roadblocks in this red-hot field." San Jose Mercury News.
05/24/2010
Andy Grove, former Intel CEO, has announced plans to donate $1.5 million to help UC-San Francisco and UC-Berkeley launch a joint two-year master's degree program in translational medicine. The program aims to accelerate research on the development of treatments for cancer, diabetes, neurological disorders and other conditions. San Francisco Business Times.
05/24/2010
Last week, scientists from the J. Craig Venter Institute in La Jolla announced that they had created the first living cell controlled by manmade DNA. The experiment and its results were reported in Friday's issue of the journal Science. President Obama has directed the newly formed Presidential Commission for the Study of Bioethical Issues to review the study as its first order of business. Washington Post, Los Angeles Times.
05/18/2010
Last week, UC-Irvine opened a stem cell research institute that will focus on developing treatments for Alzheimer's disease, spinal cord injuries, macular degeneration and other conditions. The California Institute of Regenerative Medicine helped fund the creation of UC-Irvine's facility and plans to open additional research centers at UCLA, the University of Southern California and four other California universities. Los Angeles Times.
05/06/2010
Biotechnology companies operating in San Francisco will be exempt from city payroll taxes until August 2014 under an extension approved Tuesday by supervisors. Supervisors first approved the exemption in 2004 as a way to make San Francisco attractive to such companies. San Francisco Business Times.