If you want to know what is happening with one of the signature efforts of the $3 billion California stem cell agency, mark Friday May 1 on your calendar.
That's the date of a free, day-long conference in Sacramento dealing with the stem cell agency's statewide Alpha Clinic program, which has its northern most location at UC Davis.
This is the 5th annual review of the Alpha Clinic effort, which was seeded with $50 million by the stem cell agency, formally known as the California Institute for Regnerative Medicine(CIRM). The Alpha clinics specialize in delivering stem cell clinical trials to patients.
(See here for a UC San Diego video involving the Alpha Clinic program. You can skip the ad at the beginning by clicking on the "skip ad" box in the right hand corner of the video screen.)
The Alpha conference represents an opportunity for state policy makers and legislators to get a first-hand perspective on the state's 15-year-old stem cell agency, which is hoping that next November voters will approve an additional $5.5 billion for the program.
The agency expects to phase out its work if the ballot initiative fails.
In addition to UC Davis, other Alpha locations are at City of Hope, UC Irvine/UC Los Angeles, UC San Diego and UC San Francisco.
The agenda for the May meeting is still being developed. But topics currently scheduled include unmet medical needs, cures for rare diseases, cancer clinical trials and the all-important topic of access and affordability.
In addition to researchers, the session includes a number of patients and patient advocates.
Reservations can be made by going to this page on the Internet.
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