Directors of the California stem cell agency turned back an attempt to win approval of a $17 million application from the Buck Institute on a stem cell research proposal involving Parkinsons disease.
The board rejected, on a 6-11 vote with one abstention, a motion to move the application into the first tier of grants expected to be approved later today.
The grant was proposed by Xianmin Zeng of Buck and co-PI Mahendra Rao, vice president of Invitrogen and former head of the stem cell group at National Institute of Aging.
Scientific reviewers gave the application a score of 53 and did not recommend it for funding.
Zeng filed an “extraordinary petition” and personally appeared before the board this morning. She said the criticisms by reviewers were minor or technical and have already been addressed or are being addressed.
The motion to move ahead on the grant was offered by CIRM Director Joan Samuelson, who has Parkinsons.
(Editor's note: The vote tally is based on votes that were audible on the board Web audiocast. The ultimate figure may vary slightly.)
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