Covid Research Backed by California's Stem Cell Agency: 15 Awards, Including Help with Three Clinical Trials

The California stem cell agency is down to its last $272,357 in its special, $5 million effort to help finance research involving Covid-19.

The research round began in May and has approved 15, fast-track research projects, including participation in three clinical trials. The latest awards were approved last Friday by agency directors. 

• Evan Snyder of Sanford Burnham Prebys Medical Discovery Institute received $250,000  to create lung organoids to test two drug candidates for treatment of the virus.
• John Zaia of the City of Hope received an additional $250,000 for his previously approved study dealing the use of convalescent plasma treatments. 
• Steven Dowdy at UC San Diego was awarded $150,000 to study a more effective way of delivering a genetic medicine, called siRNA, into the lungs of infected patients.

Summaries of the CIRM application review on the grants can be found here, including the six rejected.  

Approval of the latest awards came as a New Jersey firm that two weeks ago received a $750,000 award still has not disclosed the location of its clinical trial site in California. By law, the stem cell agency can only finance work within California.

The awardee is Celularity, Inc., a business whose proposed therapy is backed by Rudi Giuliani, the president's personal lawyer, who has also touted other possible Covid therapies, including one that has been rejected by the Food and Drug Administration.

In creating the Covid round, CIRM said award winners must be "ready to start work within 30 days of approval and propose achieving a clear deliverable within six months." It has been 16 days since the Celularity award was approved. 

The California Stem Cell Report has asked the firm repeatedly for the location of the California site but it has not responded. The agency itself also has not disclosed the location and defers to the company.