CIRM's Self Interest Demands More Openness

Cobbling together a $3 billion research program from scratch is no simple task. No chairs, no phones, no computers, no payroll system but no employees either or, for that matter, an office – that was picture more than five years ago when the California stem cell agency launched its unprecedented enterprise.

Adding to CIRM's teething problems were the state's “sunshine” laws. They require the agency's meetings and its records to be open to the public. On top of that was a newly minted change in the state Constitution, also in 2004, that for the first time in state history guaranteed the public the right to access to the people's business.

Some adamant advocates of sunshine laws seem to believe that compliance with all that openness is an easy matter that has little organizational impact. But even the state Department of Justice, in its guide to open meeting laws, acknowledges that the sunshine requirements place an “unnatural” burden on state endeavors. “Frustrating” and “inefficient” were a couple of other terms applied to the “sunshine” law.

It is much easier to sit down in a quiet, private room – away from the great unwashed – and organize a complex enterprise that, in the case of the stem cell agency, is to this day still trying to work out the kinks.

Nonetheless, a “higher value” exists, according to the Department of Justice. A seat must be reserved at the table for the public.

Which brings us to the “Incident at the Marriott” last month. That's when CIRM barred two academics from a meeting that CIRM said was aimed at gathering information for “critical decisions regarding the direction our funding should take.” Certainly a topic of considerable public interest since CIRM's costs (all cash borrowed by the state) run to $6 billion, including interest.

Since that we wrote that item, the barred academics have sent us a copy of the agenda for the meeting that they were originally seeking to attend. Among the matters to be discussed was the sensitive subject of "reimbursement" of human egg donors.

However, a scientist in attendance at a related workshop that day said we were off base when we deplored CIRM's flouting of state law.

The researcher, who must remain anonymous, said in an email,

"This meeting was about sharing the scientific details of the work of the few researchers who have been able to get SCNT to work in animals. There was a scientific discussion about the feasibility of human SCNT, and about what the scientific community would learn if SCNT were to be successful in humans. The goal was to share information about the science. Since so little is published about this field, the scientists were given a safe environment to frankly discuss their unpublished work and their failures. This was a landmark meeting, and it was all about science. It would have never accomplished its goal of scientific communication if the public had been invited. There will be a public report. If the ethics of egg donation are to be the main topic, then there should be another meeting, because that is an entirely different subject."

We respect that point of view and acknowledge that some scientists could have been reluctant to be forthright. But warnings about the possibility of the withholding of information have been common in the decades that I have been connected with state government issues. The reality is that interested parties usually become quite candid when cash is at stake – especially the potential loss of funding.

The paramount consideration in all this is the public nature of the stem cell research effort. When the supporters of Prop. 71 went to the people asking for the money, they implicitly acknowledged that public concerns come first – not scientific sensibilities. And without the public involvement, there would be no California stem cell agency.

By operating under a cloak of quasi-secrecy, CIRM ill serves its own interests. It lays down a record that will fuel opponents, much to their glee, a few years from now when CIRM has its hand out for more state cash, a move that CIRM Chairman Robert Klein is already discussing.

The law, the state Constitution and agency's self-interest are clear. CIRM should maximize its openness and welcome involvement by the public – not to mention its special constituencies in industry and academia.


(Editor's note: Some readers are interested in directly raising their concerns about the lack of openness at CIRM. They can send an email to mking@cirm.ca.gov and ask that it be distributed to directors. If you wish, you can send a copy to us at djensen@californiastemcellreport.com and we will reprint it. Even if it is on the other side of this matter.)