CIRM Directors Meeting Underway

Directors of the California stem cell agency have begun their meeting in Los Angeles and are now discussing a $5.6 million recruitment grant to a researcher who is connected to CIRM Director Oswald Steward of UC Irvine. Steward is not eligible to vote and has left the room, according to the Internet audiocast.

Luring Stem Cell Researchers to California: A $5.6 Million Bid

The $3 billion California stem cell agency has played a role in bringing two star researchers to the Golden State through its $44 million recruitment program and is about ready to bring in a third.

Next Thursday in Los Angeles, CIRM's governing board is expected to approve a $5.6 million grant to an unidentified scientist to lure him or her to an unidentified California institution.

The funds will go for the researcher's efforts to develop "a regeneration-based functional restoration treatment for spinal cord injury," according to a summary of reviewer comments on the CIRM web site. The grant was scored at 86 by scientific reviewers.

The summary quoted the researcher as saying,

"We recently made breakthrough discoveries in identifying key biological mechanisms stimulating the re-growth of injured axons in the adult nervous system, which led to unprecedented extents of axon regeneration in various CNS injury models. While our success was compelling, we found that many regenerated axons were stalled at the lesion sites by the injury-induced glial scars. Furthermore, it is unclear whether the regenerated axons can form functional synaptic connections when they grow into the denervated spinal cord. This proposed research program is aimed at solving these obstacles by using human stem cell technologies."

The summary said,

"The PI was described by reviewers as a superb scientist and emerging leader with outstanding accomplishments and exceptional promise. The candidate has already made key contributions to the understanding of mechanism underlying axonal regeneration that have significantly advanced the field of neuroregeneration. He/she has been extremely productive, publishing a number of seminal papers in the highest profile journals including Science, Nature, Neuron and Nature Neuroscience."

The stem cell agency's recruitment efforts have helped to bring Peter Coffey ($4.9 million from CIRM)from the UK to UC Santa Barbara and Robert Wechsler-Reya ($6 million)- to Sanford Burnham in La Jolla from Duke University.

UCSB Reports Peter Coffey's Move from the UK

The news that eminent British stem cell researcher Peter Coffey has found a new home on the seaside campus of UC Santa Barbara was officially released today.

As the California Stem Cell Report first disclosed on Aug. 25, Coffey will begin work in November. UCSB was aided in recruiting Coffey with a $4.9 million grant from the California stem cell agency.

Coffey's move from the University of London represents a significant addition to California's stem cell community, which has been well nurtured with $1.3 billion from CIRM since 2005.

In the school's press release, Coffey said,

"I appreciate being part of a thriving community backed by CIRM, which now allows opportunities that until now were not possible. To work with the UC Santa Barbara group –– the stem cell and macular degeneration centers –– is truly exciting."

Coffey will direct UCSB's Center for the Study of Macular Degeneration. The news release said,

"The long-term goal of Coffey's research is regeneration of the diseased eye. Age-related macular degeneration, diabetic retinopathy, and retinitis pigmentosa are leading causes of blindness for which there are no effective treatments in the majority of cases. Loss of vision is due to progressive degeneration of the photoreceptor cells, or loss of cells that support the photoreceptors, such as retinal pigment epithelial (RPE) cells or cells in the retinal vasculature."

Britain's Peter Coffey to Join UC Santa Barbara Stem Cell Team

STANFORD, Ca. – The seaside campus of UC Santa Barbara has scored a major coup in the world of stem cell science, successfully recruiting internationally reknown scientist Peter Coffey of the UK into its research program.

Peter Coffey
University College, London, photo

Coffey's decision to leave England emerged during a meeting here today of the governing board of the California stem cell agency, which awarded a $4.9 million recruitment grant to Coffey last fall. Coffey's name came up today during a discussion about extending the agency's $44 million recruitment effort.

CIRM President Alan Trounson said that Coffey had made a final decision about coming to California. CIRM directors were told that Coffey would be at work in November in Santa Barbara. Coffey is known for his work in eye disease and is readying a clinical trial on a therapy.

The growth of stem cell research at UCSB is one of the more dramatic stories to come out of passage of Prop. 71 in 2004, which created California's $3 billion research effort. The campus had virtually no stem cell program at the time. Its grants currently from CIRM run only to $13.5 million, but it has made the most of its research talent and added more.

UCSB campus -- UCSB photo

Coffey is not the first world reknown stem cell scientist to be lured to the beachfront campus nestled below the Santa Ynez mountains. Jamie Thomson of the University of Wisconsin is co-director of the stem cell center at UCSB and an adjunct professor at the school. Thomson was the first researcher to isolate human embryonic stem cells.

In 2007, UC Santa Barbara's growing work in stem cells attracted a $3 million gift from one of the founders of Amgen, William Bowes. The addition of Coffey to its staff is certain to draw the attention of potential future donors along with such firms as Pfizer, which is a partner in Coffey's work in the UK and which has committed $100 million for stem cell research in that country.

Dennis Clegg, co-director UCSB
 stem cell program -- UCSB photo

Coffey has been collaborating with researchers at UC Santa Barbara, including Dennis Clegg,  co-director of the UCSB Center for Stem Cell Biology and Engineering, for several years. Clegg was also instrumental in recruiting Thomson. The campus is involved in a $20 million, multi-institution grant from CIRM targeting macular degeneration, the major cause of blindness among the elderly. The California school has also established a center for the study of macular degeneration.

Coffey, UCSB, USC, Caltech, the City of Hope and University College, London, Coffey's former employer, are tied together in The California Project to Cure Blindness, which is seeking to "prevent the loss of vision and improve the quality of life for those suffering from age-related macular degeneration by 2015." 

UCSB has not yet made an official announcement of Coffey's decision, but the California Stem Cell Report is querying the school.

Pera Cites Personal and Professional Reasons for Returning to Australia

Scientist Martin Pera said tonight that he was departing as head of the USC stem cell research program for both personal reasons and an opportunity to help lead a national consortium in Australia.

Pera also said that disposition of the $7.4 million in grants from CIRM in which he is the principal investigator is under discussion with the agency, USC and himself.

Pera came to California in 2006 from Australia to launch the USC stem cell effort.

His comments came in response to a query from the California Stem Cell Report. Here is the text of what he emailed.

"It has been a fantastic and very rewarding experience to serve as the Founding Director of the Eli and Edythe Broad Center for Regenerative Medicine and Stem Cell Research at USC. I am very grateful for the support of the Broad Foundation, the University of Southern California, and CIRM in this endeavor. I have been able to bring on board some great young scientists who are doing exciting and innovative stem cell research, and to work with clinical colleagues on some very promising new therapeutic approaches in regenerative medicine. The University is fully committed to recruiting a world class scientist to guide the Center through its next stage in development.

"The opportunity to help lead a national stem cell research consortium in Australia, alongside personal considerations, were key factors in my decision to move to the University of Melbourne, a top ranked institution in biomedical research.

"The disposition of the CIRM grants on which I am Principal Investigator is a matter under discussion between the Keck School of Medicine, CIRM, and myself, but there is no question of these funds being used to support research conducted outside of the State of California."

In an aside, Pera said he has "always enjoyed" the California Stem Cell Report.

Pera Leaving Golden State for Down Under

Internationally reknown stem cell researcher Martin Pera, who holds $7.4 million in California stem cell grants, is leaving the state to return to Australia to head the stem cell program at the University of Melbourne.

Martin Pera
USC Photo

In a March 7 memo to staff at USC's Keck School of Medicine, Dean Carmen Puliafito said that Pera will assume his new job in Australia on June 1 but plans on remaining "actively engaged" with colleagues at USC during the 2011-12 academic year.  Pera joined USC in 2006 to launch the school's stem cell program.

Pera was the first director of USC's stem cell effort, which began following the passage of Prop. 71 in 2004, the measure that created the $3 billion California stem cell agency. A good portion of Pera's motivation for coming to the state was widely believed to be the availability of generous stem cell research funding here. During Pera's tenure, USC has garnered $72 million in CIRM grants, ranking 5th among state institutions.

Pera is the principal investigator on three grants from the California stem cell agency. It is not clear how those grants will be dealt with. By law, CIRM cannot finance research outside of California. We have queried CIRM and Pera concerning the status of the research.

(Pera responded following the publication of this item, saying that the grants are under discussion by the various parties. He also cited personal as well professional reasons for returning to Australia.)

Pera, a former colleague of CIRM President Alan Trounson when they were both in Australia, has personal ties to Australia and has wanted to return, one researcher told the California Stem Cell Report today.

USC's Puliafito, a member of the CIRM governing board, said an international search is underway for Pera's successor. USC is likely to seek help from CIRM's $44 million recruiting fund.

Coffey Not Committed to Moving to California Despite $4.9 Million Grant from CIRM

Last Thursday directors of the California stem cell agency awarded $4.9 million to an eminent British scientist after being assured by CIRM President Alan Trounson that his relocation to the Golden State was all but a done deal.

The $3 billion agency put out a news release in which CIRM Chairman Robert Klein hailed the move by Peter Coffey to UC Santa Barbara. Klein said,

“Recruiting internationally renowned stem cell experts such as Dr. Coffey builds a critical mass of stem cell leadership in California to drive the creation of innovative therapies for patients suffering from chronic disease or injury.”

The next day, the Financial Times of London quoted Coffey as saying he was not relocating to California. It was the second faux pas in CIRM's new, $44 million research recruitment program and raised questions about whether CIRM officials had a firm grasp on Coffey's status and their role in the touchy negotiations. It also raised questions about whether Coffey and UC Santa Barbara had met the terms of the grant application.

The RFA for the recruitment program makes several references to requirements that a recipient be a full-time employee at a California institution. Here is just one:

"The applicant institution will make adequate commitments to the PI including appointment to a full-time faculty position."

Friday's Financial Times article by Clive Cookson said,

"Although Mr Klein’s statement suggested that Prof. Coffey would be moving his base to California, Prof. Coffey said that impression was misleading. 'I am staying here [in London],' he said, 'though I can foresee more and more pressure from CIRM to up sticks and move there.'

"He said the $4.8m (sic) grant would enable him to set up a second laboratory at UC Santa Barbara, where he is already an adjunct professor, and accelerate his research."

Late Friday, we queried Coffey about the Financial Times story. On Saturday morning, we sent a query to the stem cell agency and UCSB. We told all the parties we would carry their responses verbatim when they were received.

Coffey has not replied. Dennis Clegg, co-director of the Santa Barbara stem cell program, said,

“UCSB is working hard to recruit Dr. Coffey to a full-time position, and CIRM has provided an invaluable tool to help us do that. However, as common sense would dictate, our negotiations are a private matter.”

Don Gibbons, CIRM's chief communications officer, said,

“By definition, these applications come from PIs who are not currently, eligible for CIRM funding. They are intended to be used as a recruitment tool by the CA institution. Once UCSB and Dr. Coffey decide when and how he will come to UCSB, CIRM will issue the award if Dr. Coffey's new position meets the requirements of the RFA. We would be delighted to see Dr. Coffey relocate to California on a full-time basis, but we respect the fact that he and UCSB will have to make that decision.”

At last week's board meeting at UCLA, Klein specifically asked Trounson about the status of Coffey's recruitment before calling for a vote on the grant. Coffey's name, however, was not specifically mentioned in keeping with CIRM's practice of withholding the names of winning applicants until after the board votes. Trounson assured the board that it was virtually certain that the researcher would be joining UCSB. The question of full or part-time work was not mentioned. Trounson said the applicant was “clearly one of the best scientists in the world.”

Last summer, the CIRM board put off action on Coffey grant. The agency said in August,

"The candidate being brought forward wanted more time to notify their current home institution.”

Coffey was quoted last month as deploring cuts in research in the UK. The Financial Times story said that if funding were not increased Coffey said he might have “to make members of his research team redundant and he would then succumb to the “enormous pressure” to move abroad. He said California was “very attractive” to scientists. The newspaper said the efforts by Coffey and other prominent scientists were subsequently successful in maintaining funding.

Last April, the board approved its first recruitment award. It was a $6 million inducement for Rob Wechsler-Reya to move to the Sanford-Burnham Institute in La Jolla from Duke University. He was identified as the recipient in an item on the California Stem Cell Report prior to the expected action by the board. Wechsler-Reya subsequently said he had not made a decision to come to California, which appeared to come as a surprise to CIRM officials. CIRM attempted to set a June 30 deadline for negotiations. Finally, in August, Burnham announced that they had successfully concluded a deal with the Duke researcher to come to California as a fulltime researcher.

In California, the chief institutional beneficiaries of CIRM's $44 million recruitment program are enterprises that are linked to members of the CIRM board of directors. Only academic and nonprofit institutions may apply. A relocation by Coffey to California would be a major international coup for the state and UC Santa Barbara.

Stem Cell Agency Approves More than $70 Million Including Signing Bonus for Star at UCSB

LOS ANGELES -- The California stem cell agency today awarded $67 million for translational research and approved one appeal from a scientist whose application was turned down by grant reviewers.

The grants are a “key element of CIRM's pipeline to the clinic,” directors were told. The research is aimed at creating a “development candidate ready for IND-enabling preclinical development” or making progress on a development candidate.

Sophie Deng, an ophthalmologist at UCLA, was successful in her pitch to reverse a negative decision by reviewers. Following her presentation to the board, CIRM Director Jeff Sheehy, vice chairman of the grants review group, said the $1.5 million grant was a “no brainer.” He said it could lead to FDA approval of a treatment already being used in Europe.

One business, iPierian, Inc., of South San Francisco, was awarded $5.7 million, which will come in the form of a loan, assuming CIRM completes its paper work. James Harrison, outside counsel to the board, said that more documents needed to be processed. Ipierian is heavily backed by venture capitalists who contributed more than $6 million to the ballot initiative campaign that created the Calfiornia stem cell agency. The firm has already received a $1.5 million grant.

Directors put off action on an appeal petition by Leif Havton of UCLA as they were pressed for time at midafternoon. Members of the board needed to catch flights and lost a quorum. The board concurred earlier with reviewers' negative decisions on other two appeals by Frederick Meyers and Kit Lam of UC Davis and WenYong Chen of the City of Hope.

Another application, 1778, related to Parkinson's Disease was sent back to CIRM President Alan Trounson for additional review. The board has funded little research connected to Parkinson's because of the dearth of researchers in that area in California. Director Joan Samuelson, a patient advocate for Parkinson's Disease, pushed for funding of the grant.

Separately, the board awarded a $4.9 million grant to Peter Coffey of the United Kingdom, who was described by Trounson as “clearly one of the best scientists in the world.” The grant is aimed at helping to recruit Coffey to UC Santa Barbara. It was the second recruitment award by CIRM.

Coffey is already collaborating with Dennis Clegg, co-director of the UCSB Center for Stem Cell Biology and Engineering, in connection with another CIRM grant.

Here is a link to the CIRM press release on the awards.

Stem Cell Directors Putting Off More Recruitment Grant Decisions

Directors of the California stem cell agency will meet for two days at Stanford University Aug. 18 and 19, and they are not scheduled to give away any money.

The board orginally was scheduled this month to approve some new, multimillion dollar recruitment packages for star researchers from out-of-state. The grant review group met in July to consider applications in the $44 million program. However, the matter is not on next week's agenda.

We are querying the agency concerning the absence of the awards. A number of possibilities exist. One is that no applications were of sufficient quality. Another is that the matter was delayed until a researcher is actually signed. That would avoid the awkward situation that occurred with the first recipient of the awards, Robert Wechsler-Reya of Duke. The board approved $6 million for him in April, although he had not yet made a decision to come to California and the Sanford-Burnham institute. He did not actually make a decision until last month.

Don Gibbons, chief communications officer for CIRM, said the award was postponed because "the candidate being brought forward wanted more time to notify their current

home institution."

(Editor's note: The preceding comment from Gibbons was not contained in an earlier version of this item.)

The board is also considering a proposal for another round of disease team grants, commissioning an expensive, Institute of Medicine study of CIRM and approving a policy that could lead to compensation of up $15,000 annually to patient advocate members of the board.

With only five business days remaining before the meeting, CIRM has listed only cryptic descriptions of the matters to be considered next week. It has failed to post on the agenda any material explaining exactly what the directors are planning to act on.

Extremely Modest Coverage of Wechsler-Reya Signing; Status of Tannishtha Unclear

The signing of Duke stem cell “star” Robert Wechsler-Reya generated only one news story in California and none in North Carolina, where Duke is located, according to a Google/Yahoo search today on the Internet.

Other search engines, including Dogpile(an aggregator of search engines) and Bing, reported no stories on the successful multimillion dollar recruitment of the researcher to the Sanford-Burnham institute in La Jolla.

The lone article appeared in the San Diego Union-Tribune. Reporter Gary Robbins did not quote any officials from CIRM, which put up nearly $6 million as a signing bonus for Wechsler-Reya. But Robbins did specifically mention the agency and its recruitment program in the second paragraph.

Robbins quoted Josh Baxt, a spokesman for Sanford-Burnham, as saying,

"This is exactly what the award was meant to do: serve as a magnet. Dr. Wechsler-Reya is an ace, a star, who left a tenured post at Duke University to come here. We're very happy to get him."

The story said that Wechsler-Reya will be director of a 20-investigator tumor development program.

Robbins quoted the researcher as saying via email,

"I chose to move to Sanford-Burnham because of the diverse and vibrant research community there, and because of the tremendous resources the Institute offers for doing the kind of science I feel is important.

"The move will allow me to interact and collaborate with world-class cancer biologists and stem cell biologists, not only at SBMRI but in the broader San Diego area. I'm really excited about this opportunity, and look forward to being there."

We queried Sanford-Burnham yesterday concerning Wechsler-Reya's start date and the status of his spouse, Tannishtha Reya, also a Duke stem cell researcher.

A CIRM summary of the Weschler-Reya grant review last spring said,

“Reviewers also noted that the applicant institution has committed to recruiting the candidate's spouse, who is an independent stem cell scientist; this represents a particularly beneficial leveraging of award funds.”

Baxt replied by email,

“Dr. Wechsler-Reya will be starting around November 1. We cannot comment on Tannishtha Reya at this point.”

Neither scientist has responded to our queries regarding Reya's status with Sanford-Burnham.

It's Official: Wechsler-Reya Signs with Sanford-Burnham

The $6 million-plus recruitment of a Duke stem cell researcher to California seems certain to be the topic of considerable discussion this week in research labs around the nation, if not overseas.

The move – first reported by the California Stem Cell Report on Sunday – was officially confirmed today by the Sanford-Burnham Medical Research Institute in La Jolla and the California stem cell agency.

The agency put up $5.9 million in taxpayer funds in the form of a research grant. Sanford-Burnham added an “extremely generous commitment” to bring Robert Wechsler-Reya to the Golden State. He is the first recipient in CIRM's $44 million research leadership award program.

The stem cell agency's program is also likely the first of its kind in the nation. The Wechsler-Reya recruitment starts it off well, given its goal of bringing "franchise players" to California. The agency sent a message to stem cell researchers across the nation that they should be looking ever more closely at California if they want to move forward aggressively with their careers.

The effort also highlights the built-in conflicts of interest at CIRM. Potential beneficiaries of the program include 12 members of the 29-member CIRM governing board whose institutions could use the funds to lure talent.

Others outside of the state may not look kindly on the effort. It could increase the cost of retaining talent, which, of course, could lead to sweeter deals for researchers, even if they stay in place.

In California, some researchers may regard the recruitment as boosting the field generally. Others are likely to think the money may have been better used to fund scientists already in the state. Adding Wechsler-Reya to the pool of potential applicants for CIRM's remaining $2 billion also increases the competition.

Robert Klein, chairman of the California stem cell agency, said in a statement that scientists recruited through the effort will help develop innovative therapies and push CIRM's mission forward. He touted the effort as something of a job creation program for California, which is mired in a serious economic slump and a state budget crisis. Klein said,

“Bringing this caliber of scientist to California also creates high paying positions to staff the labs, providing new jobs and tax revenue to the state.”

The official statement from Sanford-Burnham today said that Wechsler-Reya was appointed professor and director of the Tumor Development Program in the institute’s NCI-designated cancer center.

The announcement quoted Wechsler-Reya as saying,

“The strength of the scientific community there, particularly in cancer biology, stem cell biology and neurobiology, is unparalleled. This move promises to transform the way we do science, and I am grateful to Sanford-Burnham and CIRM for making it possible.”

The news release did not mention Wechsler-Reya's wife, Tannistha, who is also a Duke stem cell researcher. We are querying the couple and Sanford-Burnham about whether she is also joining the institute, as was originally expected.

Oddly, CIRM's news release on the consummation of the deal seemed to downplay the monetary size of its role. It said that the grant to Wechsler-Reya was only $5 million, as opposed to $5.9 million.

California Gains Two Bright Stem Cell Stars from Duke

Robert Wechsler-Reya

Following a lengthy, multimillion dollar courtship, two Duke University stem cell researchers have decided to migrate to the Golden State's Sanford-Burnham Medical Research Institute, the California Stem Cell Report learned today.

Robert Wechsler-Reya is the first scientist to be recruited through a $44 million effort by the California stem cell agency. CIRM's board awarded him $6 million last April, although he was yet to make a final decision. Also believed to be coming to Sanford-Burnham is his spouse, Tannishtha Reya.

In addition to CIRM's signing bonus, Sanford-Burnham is providing “an extremely generous commitment of laboratory space, matching funds for equipment, additional support for relocation and research, and access to excellent core facilities,” according to CIRM documents.

Tannishtha Reya

An anonymous but well-informed source told us that the couple had made a final decision on the move to La Jolla in Southern California. We are querying the Duke researchers, CIRM and Sanford-Burnham for comment.

CIRM directors created the program last year to bring “paradigm-shifting” scientists – “franchise players” – to California. At least 12 members of the 29-member CIRM board are connected to institutions that can benefit from the program.

Look for more of what CIRM calls “research leadership awards” later this month. Reviewers met behind closed doors last month to pick some new, lucky recipients. Their decisions should go to the full CIRM board at its meeting later this month.

(Photos from the Reya and Wechsler-Reya labs)

Day 153 of the Wechsler-Reya Affair: Near Silence from All Quarters

California's $6 million, long-running courtship of a pair of Duke Blue Devils has apparently not been consummated.

But, like many other consummations, it is not easy to tell. Silence is the watchword on the part of those who know.

Last April, the California stem cell agency offered a $6 million signing bonus to Robert Wechsler-Reya, a researcher at Duke University, to move to La Jolla's Sanford-Burnham Institute. The award is part of a two-year, $44 million taxpayer-financed effort to help recruit scientists to California.

Sanford-Burnham is also providing “an extremely generous commitment of laboratory space, matching funds for equipment, additional support for relocation and research, and access to excellent core facilities,” CIRM grant reviewers said.

But the multimillion dollar enticement did not make the Duke pair jump with alacrity. Wechsler-Reya told the California Stem Cell Report last spring he had not made a decision. That situation seems to be unchanged today.

On Monday, we queried Wechsler-Reya about whether he and his wife, Tannishtha Reya, also a stem cell researcher, will take their work to Sanford-Burnham. So far he has not responded. CIRM remains mum as well, failing to answer our questions from Monday.

Andrea Moser, vice president for communications at Sanford-Burnham, however, did say something.

“At the current time, we do not have an update on the Wechsler-Reya recruitment.”

In April, the $3 billion stem cell agency tried to impose a June 30 deadline on the courtship. CIRM President Alan Trounson told directors that Sanford-Burnham had assured him the deal would be done by then.

One reason that directors wanted the matter settled was competition for more of the signing bonus cash. If the Duke researcher was not coming to California, more money would be available to help other institutions lure scientists to the Golden State. CIRM reviewers held a closed-door session last week to make decisions on those applications, but no news was forthcoming from that event.

So we are now into Day 153 of the Wechsler-Reya Affair. Stay tuned for all the developments.

(Editor's note: We started counting the days beginning with the Feb. 18 application deadline for the grant.)

(Wechsler-Reya photo)

Whither Wechsler-Reya? A $6 Million Stem Cell Tale

Is a high-flying stem cell researcher from Duke coming to California to claim his $6 million grant from the state's $3 billion stem cell agency?

Can the prestigious Sanford-Burnham Institute in tony La Jolla, Ca., lure him and his wife away from their spots at the Gothic Wonderland, as Duke University is sometimes known?

The answers to these and other questions are still a mystery despite a quasi-deadline for the giveaway imposed by the 29 directors of the Californa Institute for Regenerative Medicine.

The will-they or won't-they matter involves Robert Wechsler-Reya and Tannishtha Reya, another Duke researcher.

The couple is being or has been recruited by Sanford-Burnham with the help of the multimillion dollar grant from California taxpayers. Directors of the state stem cell agency approved the award in April.

At the time, directors appeared to be initially unaware that the deal was not done. Wechsler-Reya told the California Stem Cell Report that he had not made up his mind on whether he would become a latter-day California argonaut.

According to the transcript of the April 29 CIRM board meeting, Chairman Robert Klein said he wanted a “definitive time” for conclusion of the Wechsler-Reya recruitment. CIRM President Alan Trounson said that Sanford-Burnham said it would be finished by the end of June. He told directors,

“We're reassured that that will be the case.”

Sanford-Burnham has announced other hires this month, but did not mention the Duke researchers. Earlier this month, we asked CIRM about the situation.

Amy Adams, communications manager for the agency, replied on July 1,

“The deadline in the RFA is for funding to start within six months after ICOC approval. At the ICOC meeting, there was agreement that it would be desirable to know Dr. Wechsler-Reya's decision before the next review so that we know how many slots remain, and the hiring institution agreed that would be reasonable. It was also stated that we hoped to have the recruitment resolved by the end of June, which has not happened.”

Wechsler-Reya has not responded to a request for comment. We are asking both him and CIRM again about the matter.

Modest Coverage of Wechsler-Reya Recruitment

The San Diego Union-Tribune has picked up on the story that a Duke cancer stem cell researcher is being recruited to its fair city with the help of a nearly $6 million grant from the California stem cell agency.

Gary Robbins had a brief item yesterday on Robert Wechsler-Reya being courted by the Sanford-Burnham Institute, which is actually in La Jolla, just north of San Diego but totally contiguous. Wechsler-Reya was also mentioned in a piece by Heather Chambers in the San Diego Business Journal, which dealt with grants received earlier this week by local scientists.

The recruitment of the Duke scientist with taxpayer funds was first reported by the California Stem Cell Report last Tuesday.

A Google search turned up no further articles on the subject, although some parties in North Carolina are looking at the story.

Duke Researcher Wins $6 million Grant From California -- With a Condition

California will give a Duke University cancer stem cell research nearly $6 million if he comes to work in the Golden State at the Sanford-Burnham Institute in La Jolla.

Directors of California's $3 billion stem cell agency, as expected, today approved the research grant for Robert Wechsler-Reya. The grant is the first installment in a $44 million program aimed at luring eight stellar researchers from their posts elsewhere in the country.

Wechsler-Reya's name was not mentioned during the brief discussion of the grant by CIRM directors at their meeting in Los Angeles. But the California Stem Cell Report identified him on Tuesday. CIRM issued a news release today that confirmed our report.

CIRM Chairman Robert Klein indicated that negotiations between Burnham and Wechsler-Reya need to be concluded by the end of June, a stipulation that Burnham has apparently agreed to. Klein said approval of the grant “would be helpful in concluding the relationship.” Burnham is additionally courting Wechsler-Reya's spouse, Tannishtha Reya, another Duke researcher.

CIRM expects to review another round of applications in its recruitment program in July. The agency needs to know whether it has eight or seven grants left to make.

CIRM President Alan Trounson said it was also important to have some diversity in expertise among the scientists who are recruited. In other words, CIRM does not necessarily want to lure only cancer stem cell scientists to the state.

At one point on Tuesday, CIRM's outside counsel, James Harrison, said the grant was being taken off the directors' agenda. His statement followed our item that said Wechsler-Reya had not made a decision about leaving Duke. Later in the day, Harrison said that he made a mistake about the matter.

Burnham will not be eligible for another recruitment grant if the Wechsler-Reya goes through. Each institution is limited to one.

$5.9 Million Grant to Duke Scientist Moving Forward Again

Directors of the California stem cell agency began a discussion tonight of a $5.9 million grant to help lure a Duke University scientist to California despite a statement earlier today that the matter would not be brought up.

James Harrison, outside counsel to CIRM, this afternoon said in an email that the matter would not be considered. Asked about the change this evening, Harrison replied in an email, “I was wrong! Chalk it up to miscommunication while everyone was in transit.”

CIRM Chairman Robert Klein initiated a staff presentation on the application. Directors discussed it briefly and will discuss it again tomorrow in public after it comes up in an executive session tonight.

The grant is expected to go to Robert Wechsler-Reya to help recruit him to the Sanford-Burnham Institute.

John Reed, CEO of the institute, is a member of the CIRM board of directors. His alternate, who is filling in for him tonight, will not be allowed to participate in the discussion or vote on the grant.

Action Stalled on $5.9 Million CIRM Grant to Recruit Duke Scientist

The California stem cell agency today called an abrupt halt to scheduled approval of a $5.9 million grant to lure a Duke University cancer stem cell researcher to the Sanford-Burnham Institute in La Jolla, Ca.

No reason was immediately offered for the removal of the grant application from the agenda today of the CIRM directors. James Harrison, outside counsel for CIRM, said in an email,

“This item will not be considered at this meeting.”

The CIRM governing board was expected to approve the funding for Robert Wechsler-Reya at their two-day meeting in the Los Angeles area. It would have been the first grant in a $44 million, two-year program to assist California institutions in recruiting top scientists.
Wechsler-Reya and his spouse, Tannishtha Reya, also a Duke stem cell scientist, are both being courted by the Sanford-Burnham.

We are seeking more explanation from CIRM and comment from Wechsler-Reya.

Wechsler-Reya Still Mulling Move to California's Burnham

Cancer stem cell researcher Robert Wechsler-Reya says he has not yet made a decision to leave Duke University and come to California, where he would be the recipient of CIRM's first Research Leadership Award.

Directors of the California stem cell agency today or tomorrow are scheduled to approve a $5.9 million grant for Wechsler-Reya to help lure him and his wife, stem cell scientist Tannishtha Reya, to the Sanford-Burnham Institute in La Jolla, Ca.

The California Stem Cell Report yesterday queried Wechsler-Reya concerning the award. Here is the verbatim text of his response:

“Thanks for your interest in the Leadership award.  I just recently received the news, and am very honored to have been chosen by the CIRM committee as the first recipient of this Award.  The prospect of interacting with the vibrant stem cell community at Sanford-Burnham, and in the broader San Diego area, would be truly unique, and we are really excited about this opportunity. However, as you can imagine, this would be a major move for me and my family, and therefore we plan to take some time to think about it before making a decision.

“In that vein, a couple of suggested corrections to your blog:

“- Since I have not yet decided to leave, I wouldn't say that I'm leaving Duke. ('He is considering leaving Duke' would be more accurate)

“- I'm not sure the first round drew only one applicant; there may have been more applicants, but the committee made only one award

“If you have any other questions, please feel free to contact me.  (I'm giving a talk tomorrow, and out of town until Thursday, so it may take me some time to get back to you).”

CIRM Millions To Help Snag Duke star Wechsler-Reya for Burnham

The recipient of CIRM's first Research Leadership Award, with $5.9 million in funding, is Robert Wechsler-Reya (at left) of Duke University, a reliable source said today.

He told the California Stem Cell Report he is considering leaving Duke and joining the Sanford Burnham Institute in La Jolla, Ca., where the CIRM-funded research is expected to be performed. Sanford Burnham is providing “an extremely generous commitment of laboratory space, matching funds for equipment, additional support for relocation and research, and access to excellent core facilities,” CIRM grant reviewers said.

(An earlier version of this item said Wechsler-Reya had decided to leave Duke. After it was published, he said in an email that he had not yet made a decision. CIRM, however, does not fund work performed outside of California.)

The reviewers also said that Sanford Burnham “has committed to recruiting the candidate's spouse(Tannishtha Reya, also at Duke, photo at right), who is an independent stem cell scientist; this represents a particularly beneficial leveraging of award funds.”­

The leadership award program, budgeted for a total of $44 million over two years, is aimed at recruiting top talent to California by means of assisting institutions with financing. The effort's goal is to attract perhaps eight scientists, although the first round this year drew only one applicant.

The stem cell agency has not identified Wechsler-Reya in keeping with its secrecy policy concerning the names of applicants. Directors are expected to approve the grant either tomorrow or Thursday. Then the agency will confirm the name.

John Reed, chief executive of Sanford Burnham, is also a member of the CIRM board of directors. He or his alternate is expected to be recused from both the discussion and voting on the grant for Wechsler-Reya. Reviewers have already approved the grant. CIRM directors almost never overturn positive decisions by reviewers, who conduct their work behind closed doors.

We have queried both researchers concerning the grant and their plans. We will carry their responses verbatim when we receive them. (See the "Still Mulling" item.)