Wednesday, October 23, 2019

California Stem Cell Researchers Compete Next Week for $52 Million in Awards

Directors of the California stem cell agency will make yes-or-no decisions next week  on eight applications for $52 million to seek cures for afflictions ranging from Parkinson's to an incurable eye disease called retinitis pigmentosa.

All eight have been approved behind closed doors by the agency's grant reviewers, but it is yet to be determined whether the agency has enough cash to ratify that action.

Prior to voting on the applications, the 29-member board is scheduled to discuss how the agency's final funding will be parceled out. The agency expects to run out of cash for new awards at the end of the Oct. 31 meeting. However, also on its agenda are a few words promising a report on the status of its search for private donations. 

Below is a table on the applications. It includes links to the review summaries prepared by the agency, which is formally known as the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine. Links to the review summary can be found on the application numbers.

Some of the applicants have filed additional letters with the board seeking to bolster their pitches. The letters can be found by clicking on the researcher's name. Some of the applicants are expected to address the board personally Oct. 31 in Oakland.

The agency has a non-embarrassment policy of not disclosing the names of applicants and their institutions until a vote by its board.  However, when they write the board, their names become a public record. The names of applicants who fail to win approval are never disclosed by the agency.

Look for more stories in the upcoming days from the California Stem Cell Report on the agency's Halloween meeting.

Application
Number
Amount
In millions
Institution
Principal 
Investigator
Target
$5.5
Stanford
IPEX
$6.6
Not disclosed
Not disclosed
Retinitis pigmentosa

$10.5 
Not disclosed
Not disclosed
Retinitis pigmentosa
$8.0
Brain Neurotherapy Bio
Parkinson’s Disease
$10.3
UCLA
Limbal stem cell deficiency 
$4.9
UCLA
Immune deficiency 
$3.2
UCLA
Myeloma
$2.9
Not disclosed
Not disclosed
Ovarian cancer


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