$165 Million for Stem Cell Education and Training in California

California's ambitious stem cell agency is in the midst of determining how it is going to spend $5.5 billion over the next decade or so. Its decisions are likely to affect millions of patients desperate for therapies and cures for afflictions ranging from cancer to diabetes. That is not to mention the agency's impact on health care policy and the thousands of scientists, technicians and others in their California laboratories. 

The go-to source for independent information about the programs of the stem cell agency is this blog, which has readers in every major stem cell research organization in the Golden State, the National Institutes of Health and the Food and Drug Administration. 

Over the last 16 years, the California Stem Cell Report has brought its readers exclusive information and news that can be found nowhere else. It has chronicled CIRM's accomplishments and its missteps over the years. And it is essential reading as CIRM wades into gene therapy, affordability efforts, personalized medicine and much more.  

Here are links and excerpts from this week's California Stem Cell Report, which has moved to a new platform as it chronicles the latest chapters in the life of the agency known officially as the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine (CIRM). Subscribe to the "new"  version of this blog through the "subscribe" buttons that can be found on its new platform at Substack. Three-million "views" of the site can't be wrong.

California Approves $165 Million for Stem Cell Training and Education

Relaunches Touted Programs at Academic Institutions

California’s stem cell agency today pumped an additional $165 million into its efforts to beef up the Golden State’s stem cell workforce, but not without a rumpus involving the actual cost of each additional worker, who range from technicians to physicians.  

The agency and many of its 35-board members have touted the programs, which have been underway for a number of years. But earlier versions of the program, as well as the latest proposal, have not included a price tag for each of what the agency calls “ready-to-start” professionals. 

That led to a contentious discussion among governing board members during which a variety of high-level figures surfaced. One calculation by a board member generated a cost of $1 million per person per year (video at end of this item).

"Hotel California" for Golden State Stem Cell Research? Plus the Bad Tidings on a $16 Million Clinical Trial Investment

Here are links and excerpts from items this morning on the California Stem Cell Report, which has moved to a new platform. Don't miss the exclusive and news about California's $12 billion stem cell/gene therapy program, including information that can be found nowhere else. Subscribe to the "semi-new"  version of this blog through the "subscribe" buttons that can be found on the new site. Three-million "views" of the site can't be wrong. 

 CIRM 'Hotel California' for Stem Cell Research? But Bad News in a California Stem Cell Trial

Stem cell researchers yesterday discussed a possible facility in California to aid in stem cell research that was dubbed a stem-cell Hotel California after the famed Baja retreat.

California’s rejuvenated stem cell program yesterday received bad news about a $16 million clinical trial investment but also heard glowing praise from stem cell researchers who suggested ways to spend $5.5 billion more. 

It all happened during a nearly five-hour session Monday morning devoted to crafting a new, five-year strategic plan for the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine (CIRM), as the agency is formally known. The meeting came in the wake of voter passage last fall of Proposition 14, which saved the agency from death by a lack of dollars.....  

Text of Statement by Amander Clark of UCLA on Future Direction of California's Stem Cell Program

Clark's Talk was Aimed at Needs in Basic Research

Looking for Work? California's Stem Cell Agency Needs 11 Good People

California’s ambitious stem cell research agency is now hiring as part of its renewed search for treatments and therapies, fueled by a fresh infusion of $5.5 billion courtesy of the people of the Golden State.

You can read all about the new jobs on the California Stem Cell Report's new platform. The article includes links to job descriptions, salaries and much more. Here is an excerpt:

“'Our team of highly trained and experienced professionals,' the agency says, 'actively partners with both academia and industry in a hands-on, entrepreneurial environment to fast-track the development of today’s most promising stem cell and regenerative medicine technologies.'

"The Oakland, Ca.-based agency is officially known as the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine (CIRM). It says it 'is the world’s largest institution dedicated to helping people by bringing the promise of regenerative medicine closer to reality.'

"At last report, the 16-year-old agency had 32 employees, down from a peak of more than 60 a few years back. But it has new and expanded responsibilities under Proposition 14....."

Don't Miss Critical Information and News about California's $12 Billion Stem Cell Program

The California Stem Cell Report has moved to another platform, but you can still subscribe free to the latest news and information about the Golden State's $12 billion stem cell research program. 

For more than 16 years, the report has brought to its readers an independent perspective unfettered by government and industry ties. Read the California Stem Cell Report if you want to know what is going on at the state stem cell program, which operates with no legislative or gubernatorial oversight. 

The California Stem Cell Report is essential reading for policy makers, stem cell company executives, scientists and patient advocates. Subscribe now.