Stem Cell Directors Postpone Action on Troubled Appeals Process

Directors of the California stem cell agency today delayed action on moves to reshape the “broken” grant appeal process at CIRM.

In response to a query about the outcome of the directors' Science Subcommittee, Don Gibbons, chief of CIRM communications, said,

“A lengthy discussion resulted in agreement to continue the discussion rather than take action at this time. It was generally agreed that any re-scoring request from the board should be a rarely used option.”

CIRM's board of directors has been bedeviled by problems with the appeals process for 2 1/2 years. The directors' new Science Subcommittee began to address the issue late in May.

More details on the directors' thinking on the problem will have to await the unveiling of the meeting transcript in about two weeks.