The Biopolitical Times Recounts the "Sordid" Saga at CIRM

The Center for Genetics and Society, which has not written much recently about the California stem cell agency, has posted its perspective on the latest events involving the election of a new chair at the $3 billion enterprise.

Pete Shanks, an author and blogger for the Berkeley organization, yesterday recounted the dealings to date on the center's Biopolitical Times site. He also wrote,

“In fact, the most important part of this apparently sordid tale may be that we do not know what has been going on behind the scenes at a public agency.”

Shanks described the chair selection process as a “saga” with a “circus atmosphere.” He noted Klein's closed-door attempts to engineer selection of his own successor and then his maneuverings to place himself into a position for re-election despite his pledge to leave. Shanks also noted that Klein in 2004 told the New Yorker magazine he was interested in serving as chairman for no more than 24 months.

Shanks' item contains links – all in one place – to most of the reporting on the CIRM chair election. He also said,

“The place to look is David Jensen's blog, the California Stem Cell Report....No one outside of CIRM knows more about it.”