Monday, January 25, 2021

Plus and Minuses: The Proposition 14 "Christmas Tree" and its Implications


From the exploration of mental health to "aging as a pathology," Proposition 14 launched the California stem cell agency on a course that will take it far afield from its founding charter of 2004. 

Directors of the agency will receive a briefing Thursday on the details of the 17,000-word, "Christmas tree" ballot initiative. The California Stem Cell Report has prepared a deep look at many of the features of the measure, including how it could be altered if CIRM desires to take on that difficult task. Below is an excerpt from the full item, which can be found on the new platform for this blog.

-0-

Proposition 14, last fall’s ballot measure to save California’s stem cell agency from financial extinction, contains much, much more than the $5.5 billion it sought from the state’s voters.

Added to the agency’s charter is research involving mental health, “therapy delivery,” personalized medicine and “aging as a pathology.“ That is not to mention a greater emphasis on supporting “vital research opportunities” that are not stem cell-related.

The measure enlarged the board from 29 to 35 members — seats not yet filled as of this writing. But even at 29, the board has been much criticized for its large size, which creates more possibilities for conflicts of interest, a long-standing issue for the agency.

Proposition 14 bans royalties that are generated by state-backed stem cell inventions from being used for such things as prisons and schools, isolating the funds from tinkering by lawmakers....

-0-

The California Stem Cell Report is the only independent, news and information source devoted solely to the Golden State's stem cell research program, the first of its kind in state history. 

This blog's migration to a new platform is aimed at improving service to readers and helping to bring a new focus to our coverage, which began in January 2005 and which has carried in 5,000 items since then.

No comments:

Post a Comment

Search This Blog