USC vs. UC San Diego: Unprecedented $50 Million Settlement in Academic Recruiting War

The University of Southern California in Los Angeles is coughing up $50 million and publicly apologizing for its tactics in recruiting a star Alzheimer's resarcher from UC San Diego, it was reported Thursday.

The Los Angeles Times story about the unprecedented settlement described the case as an "ugly academic war." It had the potential of bringing $340 million in research grants to USC.  

The move settled a $185 million lawsuit that at one point involved two directors of the $3 billion California stem cell agency, along with researcher Paul Aisen.

The Times story said the "unprecedented litigation in which UC accused its private rival of repeatedly stealing away top scientists and their lucrative research grants with 'predatory' practices and a 'law-of-the-jungle mind-set.'"

Aisen was a neurology professor at UC San Diego. He and his lab staff left the La Jolla school in 2015. The Times reported that the departures were secretly orchestrated by top administrators at USC.

The Times story, written by Harriet Ryan and Teresa Watanabe with additional reporting by Bradley Fikes, said,

"The self-described 'quarterback' of Aisen’s recruitment was then dean of USC’s Keck School of Medicine Carmen Puliafito, subsequently revealed to have been using drugs and partying with criminals during the time he was courting the scientist."

At the time, Puliafito and David Brenner, dean of the UC San Diego medical school, were both members of the governing board of the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine (CIRM), as the stem cell agency is formally known. Aisen, however, has not received funding from CIRM, which has financed $56.5 million in other Alzheimer's research. 

According to the Times, the apology said that the recruitment tactics "did not align with the standards of ethics and integrity which USC expects of all its faculty, administrators and staff."

The Times story continued,

"UCSD Chancellor Pradeep Khosla welcomed the settlement and said he was open to working with USC in the future.
"'For California and the country, it’s good that two great research universities can work on the Alzheimer’s problem,' he said in an interview. 'I look forward to a constructive collaboration in the future in solving other societal problems.'
"It is not unusual for professors to move to other institutions, but it is often a collegial process in which the universities work together to transfer grants and research."

The Aisen case was not the first instance of USC researcher poaching. The Times wrote,

"In 2013, Puliafito lured two well-funded brain researchers from UCLA, outraging the state university, which complained to government regulators. USC agreed to pay UCLA more than $2 million in a confidential settlement."

The Quest for Stem Cell 'Franchise Players:' California's $47 Million Recruitment Program

 Robert Weschler-Reya briefly discusses some of the implications of his research.

Nine years ago this month, the California stem cell agency kicked off a $47 million recruiting effort to lure star stem cell scientists to the Golden State in what was then an even more fledgling field than it is today.

The first recipient was Robert Weschler-Reya, who left Duke University to join the Sanford Burnham Prebys Medical Discovery Institute in La Jolla, Ca. Weschler-Reya surfaced again last week in an item on the stem cell agency's blog, The Stem Cellar, which discussed the research that he hopes will help children with a deadly brain cancer.

Back in April 2010, directors of the state's $3 billion stem cell agency awarded nearly $6 million to Weschler-Reya. But it took him months to make the decision to come to California. (For more on the process see here and here.)

Ultimately, the agency helped to bring eight other scientists to California through the recruitment effort. All of the awards in the program benefited institutions with past or present representation on the agency's governing board. Those directors could not vote on specific grants to their institutions, but they all voted in favor of creating the recruitment effort.

The overall approach was approved in 2009 by directors of the agency, known formally as the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine (CIRM). Backers said it would lure "paradigm-shifting," "franchise players" to the state.

CIRM Director William Brody, then head of the Salk Institute in La Jolla but also a former president of John Hopkins University in Maryland, said that when California voters created the stem cell agency in 2004,

"I was sitting in Baltimore (and) the big concern was that there would be this big sucking sound for the senior people. And that, by and large, I don't think has happened because there's not been an appropriate mechanism to bring them, and I think this would do that."

As for Weschler-Reya, CIRM quoted him on its blog last week as saying that his research has developed "a valuable tool that will increase our understanding of the biology of the cancer and allow us to identify and test novel approaches to therapy. This advance brings us one step closer to a future where every child survives—and thrives—after diagnosis with CPC (choroid plexus carcinoma).

In his year-seven report on his CIRM research, Weschler-Reya said,

"The goal of our studies has been to elucidate the role of stem cells in development, regeneration and tumorigenesis in the cerebellum. We have made significant progress towards this goal during the course of our work.

"Our studies have provided insight into the types of cells derived from cerebellar stem cells during development, and shown that cerebellar stem cells can serve as cells of origin for pediatric brain tumors. Moreover, we developed several new stem cell-based animal models of pediatric brain tumors, and used them to study mechanisms driving tumorigenesis and metastasis. Importantly, we also used these models to screen for compounds that might be effective inhibitors of tumor growth, and identified a number of promising candidates. 

"Our long-term goal is to move these agents toward clinical trials, to improve outcomes for pediatric brain tumor patients."

Here is a list of all the recipients in CIRM's recruitment program. 

Institution	Researcher name	Grant Title	Award Value
University of California, Berkeley	Xavier Darzacq	Single Molecule Biophysics and Biology of Cellular Identity	$4,247,155
Gladstone Institutes, J. David	Todd McDevitt	Engineering microscale tissue constructs from human pluripotent stem cells	$5,884,058
University of California, Los Angeles	John Chute	Niche-Focused Research: Discovery & Development of Hematopoietic Regenerative Factors	$5,174,715
Cedars-Sinai Medical Center	Barry Stripp	Epithelial progenitors and the stromal niche as therapeutic targets in lung disease	$4,841,830
Stanford University	Hiromitsu Nakauchi	Generation of functional cells and organs from iPSCs	$5,427,512
University of California, San Diego	Eric Ahrens	Molecular Imaging for Stem Cell Science and Clinical Application	$5,920,899
University of Southern California	Andrew McMahon	Repair and regeneration of the nephron	$5,672,206
University of California, Santa Barbara	Peter Coffey	Development of Cellular Therapies for Retinal Disease	$4,690,963
Sanford-Burnham Medical Research Institute	Robert Wechsler-Reya	The role of neural stem cells in cerebellar development, regeneration and tumorigenesis	$5,226,049
			47085387

California's 'Great Ideas,' Stem Cell Awards Target Universal Blood Supply, Alzheimer's and Much More

The California stem cell agency this week awarded a total of $1.4 million to six scientists to jump start their work in what it calls its "great ideas" program.

The awards went for research ranging from creation of a universal blood supply with human stem cells to mitigating Alzheimer's disease, which has seen an increase of 55 percent in its death rate from 1999 to 2014, according to results of a new study released yesterday

The agency said in a press release that the "Inception" program  "provides seed funding for great ideas that have the potential to impact human stem cell research, but need some initial support. It’s hoped this will enable the researchers to test their ideas, and give them the data they need to compete for more substantial funding."

Jonathan Thomas, chairman of the agency's governing board, said,

"This is a high risk, high reward program. We feel that a small investment now could produce enormous benefits later.”

The funding is small indeed. The California Institute for Regenerative Medicine(CIRM), as the agency is formally known, finances some clinical trials at $20 million a crack. The largest award in the "great ideas" program was $265,500.

The blood supply award was a reminder of another program that the agency used to entice star researchers to California. The blood grant went to Tannishtha Reya of UC San Diego. She came to California with her spouse, Robert Wechsler-Reya. He was lured by CIRM in 2010 with $5 million in funding to work at the Sanford-Burnham Medical Research Institute in La Jolla.. He has not received any further funding from the agency. This is the first CIRM award for Reya.

Another round of the Inception program is scheduled to open up in January 2018. Here is a link to the most recent request for applications. 

Here is a list of the winners with their application numbers. The summaries of reviewer comments on each application and their scores can be found here.  All of the institutions have ties to CIRM board members, who are not permitted to vote on applications involving their institutions. However, they can vote on creation of the research grant programs, establishment of their scope and rules.

DISC1-10074

Reprogramming human stem cells for blood cell generation

T. Reya – U.C. San Diego

$232,200

DISC1-10036

Prodrug innovation to target muscle stem cells and enhance muscle regeneration

H. Blau – Stanford University

$235,834

DISC1-10079

An exosome-based translational strategy to mitigate Alzheimer’s disease neuropathology

J. Baulch – U.C. Irvine

$179,911

DISC1-09912

A novel tissue engineering technique to repair degenerated retina

B. Thomas – University of Southern California

$215,133

DISC1-09999

Generation of expandable, self-renewing muscle stem cells for Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy

A. Sacco – Sanford-Burnham Medical Research Institute Letter to board

$265,500

DISC1-09984

Hypo-immunogenic cardiac patches for myocardial regeneration

S. Schrepfer – U.C. San Francisco Letter to board

$238,500

California Spending $16.2 Million to Lure Stem Cell Scientists

LA JOLLA, Ca.  -- Directors of the California stem cell agency this morning approved $16.2 million to recruit three star researchers to UCLA, UC Berkeley and the Gladstone Institutes in San Francisco.

The move came on a 6-2-1 vote by the 29-member board. Most of the directors were disqualified from voting because of conflicts of interest.

The recipients are Todd McDevitt of the Georgia Institute of Technology, who is being recruited by Gladstone; Xavier Darzacq of the Ecole Normale Superlieure in Paris, who is being sought by UC Berkeley, and John Chute of Duke, who is being recruited by UCLA. Chute is the second researcher from Duke to be lured to California with the help of a CIRM grant.

Appeals by UC San Francisco and UC Davis were rejected by the board.

The vote on the awards followed an unsuccessful effort to scrap the entire recruitment program.

California Stem Cell Researcher Recruitment Program Narrowly Survives

LA JOLLA, Ca. -- Directors of the $3 billion California stem cell agency this morning rejected an attempt to reject proposals to spend $16.2  million to recruit star scientists to the Golden State.

The move failed on a 4-5 vote on the 29-member board. Most members of the board were disqualified because of conflicts of interests. The major beneficiaries of the program all have representatives on the CIRM.

Names of the researchers and the recruiting institutions were not disclosed.

The motion was made by Francisco Prieto and seconded by Steve Juelsgaard. Prieto said the grants are "not the best place to for the (agency) to put its money right now."

The discussion of the matter is continuing following the vote.

UC San Francisco and UC Davis Seek Millions for Recruitment of Scientists

LA JOLLA, Ca. -- The University of California at Davis and the University of California at San Francisco are both appealing rejection of multimillion dollar proposals that would help them recruit highly regarded scientists to California.

The proposals were turned down by reviewers for the California stem cell agency.  However, appeal letters were submitted to the board by Arnold Kriegstein, director of the stem cell program at UC San Francisco, and Thomas Vail, chairman of the Department of Orthopedic Surgery at the same institution.

The appeal letter from UC Davis was signed by Frederick Meyers, vice dean of its medical school; Jan Nolta, head of the school's stem cell program, and Diana Farmer, chair of the Department of Surgery.

The letters were not available online at the time of this writing.

$37 Million Slated for California Stem Cell Research

Directors of the California stem cell agency this week are expected to hand out $37 million to businesses and scientists for projects involving human embryonic stem cells(hESC), spinal injury and urinary incontinence.

About $20 million will go to enterprises involved in later stage research. A $14.3 million award is expected to go to Asterias Therapeutics of Menlo Park, Ca., which has purchased the stem cell program that originated with Geron Corp. Asterias plans to move forward with the hESC clinical trial that Geron began amid much ballyhoo. However, Geron abandoned the effort in 2011 for financial reasons. (See here and here.)

A $5.6 million award is expected to go a previous but unidentified grant recipient for work involving HIV/AIDS. (Late today, an anonymous reader said in a comment at the end of this item that the award is for Sangamo Biosciences in Richmond, Ca.)

At their meeting Thursday in San Diego, directors of the agency are also expected to approve $16.2 million to help recruit three out-of-state scientists. The academic recruitment program was created to help California lure star scientists to the Golden State. The awards range from $6.4 million to $4.6 million. Two additional applicants were classified as by reviewers as additional possibilities for funding depending on the druthers of the board. The names of the applicants are being withheld by the agency

The recruitment program was originally budgeted some years ago for $44 million. Twenty-three million dollars was added in 2013. Prior to this week, the awards helped to finance the recruitment of seven scientists.

Information about the $900,000 urinary incontinence award can be found here. 

Stanford Loses Star Stem Cell Researcher to Montana State University

Renee Reijo Pera, Stanford photo

The California stem cell community today chalked up its second departure of the month with the announcement that Renee Reijo Pera is leaving Stanford to join Montana State University.

The news about Reijo Pera, whose research is recognized internationally, comes only one week after Alan Trounson announced he was leaving his post as the president of the $3 billion California stem cell agency to return to Australia. 

Reijo Pera, 54, will become the new vice president for research, creativity and technology transfer at Montana State in Bozeman beginning Jan. 15. Currently director of Stanford's Center for Human Pluripotent Stem Cell Research and Education, Reijo Pera has won $24.4 million from the California stem cell agency in addition to her federally funded research.

She has been at Stanford since 2007 after leaving UC San Francisco. Prior to her 10 years at UC San Francisco, she was at MIT and the Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research. (Her resume can be found here.)

Reporter Gale Schontzer of the Bozeman Daily Chronicle wrote anicely detailed story on Reijo Pera's appointment. Schonzter said that MSU research funding dropped 17 percent this year to $94 million, partly because of the loss of some researchers. She quoted a Montana spokesperson as saying that Reijo Pera “has amazing credentials that we think will continue to move our research forward.”

Schontzer reported that Reijo Pera's salary will be $200,000, “making her the third highest-paid administrator on the Bozeman campus.”

Reijo Pera also told the reporter that she “'absolutely loved' Stanford, but felt 'it's kind of time to do the next thing…. There is potential to do more at Montana State.'”

The news article also provided some interesting history on Reijo Pera. Schontzer said, 

“In high school, Reijo Pera said she had no interest in science or college. But after graduating and working as a car dealership bookkeeper, she wanted more. She enrolled at the University of Wisconsin-Superior to major in business. A class in human genetics for non-majors changed her life.”

Not mentioned in the Bozeman Chronicle story was a professional, Montana-Stanford linkage involving stem cell scientist Irv Weissman and Reijo Pera. In 2007, Weissman, director of the Stanford stem cell institute, hailed the hiring of Reijo Pera after playing a role in recruiting her.

Weissman has strong ties to Montana where he grew up and where he has a ranch.

Skin in California’s Stem Cell Game

The California stem cell agency’s road map to its financial future makes a big, $200 million assumption.

The amount would be the agency’s skin in the game for a new, public-private partnership to continue with the agency’s work after 2017, when its cash basically runs out.

The $200 million figure is contained in the assumptions for development of the proposed partnership, which is now in the very early stages of being crafted by a Marin County consultant, James Gollub. He was told that whatever he comes up with can assume a onetime, $50 million to $200 million public contribution.

The sixty-four-dollar question – to use a term from the 1940s -- is how to raise that sort of cash. Consider two unappetizing possibilities. The 29 members of the agency’s governing board could go to Sacramento and ask lawmakers and the governor to give them the money, a prospect that most of them would not relish. Such a move would open the door to tinkering or more with the agency’s structure and operations.  Or the board could seek more bond financing via a statewide election, requiring an electoral campaign that would cost many millions to mount. In both cases, there is no guarantee that funds would be forthcoming. Money is still tight in California government, and voters may not fancy spending more on stem cell research, especially if the agency has not delivered on the promises of the 2004 ballot campaign that created the $3 billion program.

A third possibility, however, exists, but it also could be difficult considering pressures to spend all that the agency has. The board of the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine (CIRM), as the agency is formally known, has about $600 million in uncommitted cash. It could take $200 million off the table and reserve it as seed money for whatever future plans would involve. Or the board could simply roll back commitments it has made for lower priority grant rounds – ones that have not yet been initiated. Some are in concept stages, and others have not yet been posted as RFAs.

Scrimping on existing efforts is not going to suit the condition of all board members. The question of priorities on spending came up last month in connection with the agency’s generous, $69 million researcher recruitment effort that benefits many institutions represented on the agency’s board. Jeff Sheehy, who is a patient advocate member of the board but also a communications manager at UC San Francisco, and others bridled at adding more money to the recruitment program. Sheehy cited scarcity of funds and said it was a “distraction” from more important efforts. His view, however, did not prevail.

Today the board is scheduled to act on a grant round that is budgeted for $70 million. However, grant reviewers have approved grants totaling only $37 million. Board members, if they wish, could indicate that the surplus $33 million be designated as a down payment on the future of the agency – an organization in which they take great pride.

Another $23 Million to Recruit Star Stem Cell Scientists to California

California's $46 million effort to lure stem cell research stars to the Golden State was expanded today by another $23 million.

Directors of the stem cell agency approved the funds on a 14-4-1 vote. CIRM directors Jeff Sheehy and Francisco Prieto were among those opposing the move. Prieto declared,

“We are coming up against finite resources. We have better ways to spend our money."

 Sheehy said that CIRM is contributing to inflation in stem cell science with its lucrative recruitment grants. 

Those supporting the expansion said that the grants have had a great impact on the field, not only bringing in individual scientists, but accompanying researchers in their labs along with grants from other sources.

The additional funds will go to institutions that have not already benefited from one of the earlier grants in the program. Up to four awards are expected to be made.

The CIRM staff proposal on the plan said,

“A number of California institutions have not yet been able to secure a confirmed Research Leadership award but would benefit greatly from the recruitment of emerging or established leaders in stem cell biology. Participation in the CIRM program could bring additional, exceptional researchers to California, strengthen and synergize with other efforts to build up local sustained research communities in stem cell biology and medicine and provide ongoing leadership at the cutting edge of California regenerative medicine.”

All of the California institutions involved with the winning researchers have representatives on the governing board of the stem cell agency. They are not allowed, however, to vote on grants to their institutions or researchers -- only on proposals such as today's $23 expansion.

Applications are due in January with final approval scheduled for next May. The program is not open to businesses.

$36 Million Recruitment: Names of Researchers Being Lured to California

Here are the names of the researchers being recruited to California by the California stem cell agency with $36 million in awards. The sixth asked not to be revealed since he/she has yet to tell the current institution and are in negotiations with their new institution

·      Hiromitsu Nakauchi of the University of Tokyo, who would be moving to Stanford University

·      Barry R. Stripp of Duke moving to Cedars-Sinai Medical Center

·      Richard Gregory of Harvard and Children’s Hospital, Boston moving to UC Santa Cruz

·      Eric Ahrens of Carnegie Mellon moving to UC San Diego

Stem Cell Agency Approves $36 million to Recruit Six Scientists to California

The California stem cell agency today awarded $36 million to six scientists to lure them to the Golden State, in what was the agency's largest-ever recruiting round.

The awards more than doubled the amount of CIRM has spent on recruitment. Until today, the agency had awarded only $23.2 million for four awards.

Today's awards ranged from $7.5 million to $4.8 million. The agency did not immediately identify the recipients. However, testimony at the meeting indicated that two of the institutions involved were UC San Francisco and the Gladstone Institute (the $7.5 million award) and UC Santa Cruz (a $5.4 million award). (The agency later released the list, which can be found here. Here is a link to the CIRM press release.)

The differences in the size of the awards had to do with the overhead charges that are levied by the institutions at which the scientists would work, CIRM staff said. The "direct costs" of the research for each grant was $4.5 million.

Six applications were considered in the latest round, including one that was scored at 75 that was rejected by grant reviewers. However, CIRM staff recommended that application, which involved UC San Francisco and Gladstone, be funded. (See here and here.)

Previous winners of the recruitment awards were Robert Wechsler-Reya, Sanford-Burnham; Dennis Steindler, The Parkinson's Institute; Andrew McMahon, USC, and Peter Coffey, UC Santa Barbara.

Big Boost Proposed for Stem Cell Agency Researcher Recruitment Program

The staff of the California stem cell agency is recommending boosting the agency's faculty recruitment program to nearly $59 million, up from $44 million approved in 2010.

The funds would go to lure six scientists to the California. Since 2010, only four researchers have won recruitment awards.

If the additional funds are approved, the cash would be consumed by the grants today. It is not clear whether additional recruitment awards will be given by the agency.  

Florida Researcher Wins $6.7 Million Grant to Come to Golden State

Dennis Steindler
UF Photo

The governing board of the California stem cell agency this morning approved a $6.7 million grant to recruit Dennis Steindler of the University of Florida to the Parkinson's Institute in Sunnyvale, Ca.

The grant was approved immediately following a 45-minute executive session with no further debate. (For more on this, see here, here and here.)

Steindler later told the California Stem Cell Report he would begin work in California as soon as possible.

Dennis Steindler Application: Excerpt from Review Summary

The CIRM summary of the review on the $6.7 million grant to recruit Florida scientist Dennis Steindler to the Parkinson's Institute in California carried a strong minority report. However, the review itself drew fire this morning from some CIRM board members.

They included patient advocate Jeff Sheehy, co-vice chair of the grant review group, who supported approval of the grant. He noted that the low score reflected two extreme opinions. He said some of the reviewers were doing their research on the Parkinson's Institute on the Internet during the actual review.  Sheehy said that was not a "good way" to perform a review and reflected a "major short-coming." 

Here is an excerpt from the review.

"In summary, this is an application from an established leader in NSC biology to pursue research focused on disease mechanisms in PD. Strengths of the proposal include the quality of the PI, the focus of the project on an interesting hypothesis, and the leadership in basic science that the candidate would bring to the applicant institution. Weaknesses included deficiencies in the research plan, the limited track-record of the PI in PD research and an institutional environment lacking adequate support for basic science investigations."

The summary continued, 

"During programmatic discussion some GWG (grant review group) members cited a need to broaden stem cell leadership not only at the large universities but also at the smaller institutions as well. They felt that the candidate's recruitment would strengthen the applicant institution and provide leadership and strength in basic research. The need for increased research focused on Parkinson's Disease was also cited by some reviewers. A motion to recommend the application for funding carried with a majority vote. Because more than 35% of GWG members opposed the motion, opponents have exercised their right to have that position reported to the ICOC. The consensus statement from this group is as follows: 'Despite the facts that the applicant has many excellent attributes, that Parkinson's disease is a key area of interest, and that the applicant institution may deserve additional consideration, our opinion is that the application clearly falls short in several critical scientific areas that outweigh the programmatic concerns and do not justify a recommendation for funding. We believe that the people of California depend upon us to make recommendations based on our scientific expertise, for outcomes that are most likely to impact medicine and the health and treatment of their citizens. We believe that their money can be better spent.'"

CIRM Board Eyes Florida Researcher for $6.7 Million Grant

The board of the California stem cell agency is discussing a proposal to award $6.7 million to recruit a Florida scientist to the Parkinson's Institute in Sunnyvale, Ca.

The scientist is Dennis Steindler of the University of Florida. The recruitment award received a score of 57, although the scores ranged from 30 to 75.  Jeff Sheehy, a member of the grant review group and CIRM board member, said the score reflected two extremely divergent positions by two reviewers.

The board has awarded four grants in its recruitment round over the past couple of years, but this is the first extended discussion of an award recommended by reviewers. It is also the first to have a representative of the applicant institution speaking publicly for the grant.

CIRM directors have now moved into executive session to discuss matters they prefer to air in private.

Harvard's McMahon on His Way to USC

Andy McMahon
Harvard photo

The governing board of the California stem cell agency this afternoon approved a $5.7 million grant to lure a Harvard researcher to the University of Southern California in Los Angeles.

The scientist is Andrew McMahon, who serves on the executive committee of the Harvard Stem Cell Institute. CIRM officials said McMahon is ready to begin his work immediately at USC.

McMahon won stellar reviews from CIRM's grant reviewers who said he was an “exceptional scientist and one of the leading young developmental biologists.” Reviewers gave his proposal a score of 90 and, in summary, said,

“Major strengths include the candidate's exceptional productivity and contributions to the fields of mammalian embryology and kidney development, the significance and potential of the research program, the PI's proven leadership capabilities, and the outstanding institutional commitment.”

California's $12.4 Million Stem Cell Recruitment Lure

Directors of the California stem cell agency next Thursday are likely to approve spending $12.4 million to lure a couple of stem cell stars to the Golden State.

It is part of a $44 million recruitment program that has brought three highly regarded scientists to three California research institutions, all of which have representatives on the CIRM board. (See here, here and here.)

As usual, the $3 billion stem cell agency does not identify the potential recipients in advance of the meeting or the institutions that are recruiting them. However, if you have a modicum of knowledge about the specific fields involved, it is likely that you can identify them based on the information in CIRM's review summaries and some Internet searching.

One of the proposed research grants–a $5.7 million award--would go a scientist who won raves from CIRM's reviewers. The researcher was described as an “exceptional scientist and one of the leading young developmental biologists.” Reviewers gave his proposal a score of 90 and, in summary, said,

“Major strengths include the candidate's exceptional productivity and contributions to the fields of mammalian embryology and kidney development, the significance and potential of the research program, the PI's proven leadership capabilities, and the outstanding institutional commitment.”

 The other grant was larger–$6.7 million–but reviewers raised a number of questions about the candidate although they recommended it for funding. The review summary ranked the application at 57 and said,

“In summary, this is an application from an established leader in NSC biology to pursue research focused on disease mechanisms in PD. Strengths of the proposal include the quality of the PI, the focus of the project on an interesting hypothesis, and the leadership in basic science that the candidate would bring to the applicant institution. Weaknesses included deficiencies in the research plan, the limited track-record of the PI in PD research and an institutional environment lacking adequate support for basic science investigations.“

Last January, in a rare move, CIRM directors rejected a $6.3 million recruitment grant with a score of 76 sought by the Buck Institute, which is not represented on the board.

The proposals are scheduled to be acted on at a public CIRM board meeting in Burlingame, Ca.

(Editor's note: an earlier version of this item incorrectly said the total of both grants was $13.4 million.)

In Rare Negative Vote, CIRM Directors Nix $6.3 Million Grant Application

Directors of the California stem cell agency today rejected a $6.3 million grant to recruit an unidentified researcher to the Buck Institute after some of CIRM's grant reviewers raised questions about his/her research, achievements and experience.

The CIRM governing board voted 3-16 with two abstentions on the grant, which scored 76 out of 100 during a closed-door session of reviewers earlier this month. Directors were told that the grants review group voted 11-6 to approve the application.

The CIRM board almost never rejects a recommendation from grant reviewers.

During the board's discussions, several directors raised questions about whether CIRM would be paying -- with the grant -- for research that did not fit within its objectives. Others said the intent of the agency's recruitment grant program was to attract the best scientists to California.

The research proposal was the subject of an unusual, dissenting minority report by reviewers. The CIRM staff-prepared review summary said,

"A motion to recommend the application for funding carried with a majority vote. Because the motion was opposed by more than 35% of members, opponents have exercised their right to have that position reported to the ICOC(the CIRM governing board). The GWG(grant review group) members raised three main opposing points. First, some GWG members were not convinced that the research program proposed by the candidate, despite its scientific merits in a simple model organism (the fruitfly Drosophila), would be translated effectively to mammalian models and human studies. Thus, they questioned whether the work would have significant impact on CIRM's mission of advancing stem cell research toward therapies. Second, some GWG members felt that the candidate's research vision did not extend far beyond significant discoveries to which the candidate has already contributed, and was, therefore, solid and safe but not venturesome or compelling. Third, although the candidate is clearly a rising star, some GWG members were concerned that the candidate's achievements and experience were not yet sufficiently mature for the leadership position expected under this award."

However, the review summary also said,

"The goal of the proposed research is to expand the study of molecular pathways mediating stem cell aging and to extend these investigations into mammalian cells....The proposed studies will investigate the regulation of stem cell activity and aging in response to nutritional conditions and environmental stress. These efforts could yield new insights into a range of chronic diseases and lead to therapeutic approaches to maintain or restore adult stem cell function in humans. "

"The candidate’s emerging leadership and recognition by the field has been reflected in numerous invitations to speak at major meetings and to contribute reviews and commentaries to leading journals. The PI (applicant) was lauded in outstanding letters from leaders in the field of stem cell aging research. They described the candidate as a highly energetic, innovative, and focused scientist who is recognized internationally as a critical thought leader making fundamental contributions to the understanding of aging mechanisms."

Normally the names of institutions connected to grant applications are not disclosed prior to board approval. However, the name of the Buck Institute was mentioned during the discussion about the application. Votes by the grants review group are also not normally disclosed during board discussions.

The award would have been the fourth in CIRM's $44 million programt to help recruit stem cell researchers to California.

California Stem Cell Agency Approves $5.6 Million to Lure Harvard Researcher to Golden State

Directors of the California stem cell agency today approved a $5.6 million grant to bring a star researcher to California -- a Harvard scientist currently collaborating with a director of the stem cell agency.

The recipient is Zhigang He, who is negotiating with UC Berkeley, which also has a representative on the CIRM board, one who did not vote on the grant or speak during the discussion.

Responding to a query from the California Stem Cell Report, the researcher later said, "I am still talking to Berkeley about the details of my move."

Zhigang He
Harvard Photo

CIRM governing board Oswald Steward, director of the Reeve-Irvine Research Center, Anatomy & Neurobiology at the UC Irvine School of Medicine , was also disqualified from voting or participating in the discussion. He left the room, saying that he has been "directly collaborating with this person."

The name of the Harvard researcher was not mentioned prior to the vote on the grant, although a member of the public, patient advocate Don Reed, told directors he knew the applicant and recommended him highly.

The grant is part of a $44 million recruitment effort by CIRM. It has awarded about $11 million to bring two researchers to California institutions, both of which have representatives on the CIRM board.

(An earlier version of this item said Zhigang He "is slated to go to work" at UC Berkeley, based on comments at the CIRM board meeting.)