Love and Reed Mentioned in Massachusetts Political Coverage

The names of two members of the directors of the California stem cell agency have surfaced in coverage of the Massachusetts governor's race.

Ted Love and John Reed were mentioned in a story by reporter Dave Wedge of the Boston Herald that said that a company founded by the Democratic candidate, Chris Gabrieli, is "one of the world’s leading patent holders in stem cell research, raising questions about (his) denials that he stands to profit from his plan to fund the controversial science with tax dollars."

Wedge wrote:

"Isis Pharmaceuticals - a company in which Gabrieli owns $1.5 million in stock - ranks third in the country in stem cell patents. Gabrieli sat on the firm’s board of directors until February."


Wedge continued:
"The controversy came to a head (last week) when (Republican candidate Kerry) Healey launched an attack ad accusing Gabrieli of positioning himself to reap a financial windfall from his plan to invest $1 billion in taxpayer money in stem cell research.

 "The Herald also has learned that Gabrieli has ties to two biotech executives who have come under fire in California for sitting on an independent board that oversees that state’s $3 billion, taxpayer-funded stem cell research program. Gabrieli has called the California program a 'model' for his Bay State plan.

"Ten of the 29 executives on the California board have been criticized for their investments and interests in biotech companies, including Isis Pharmaceuticals director John Reed. The other with ties to Gabrieli is Ted Love, a board member of Predix Pharmaceuticals, a company that recently merged with Epix Pharmaceuticals, which is in Gabrieli’s investment portfolio."