Klein Group Says It Does Not Lobby

The American for Cures Foundation, whose president, Robert Klein, is chairman of the $3 billion California stem cell agency, has taken issue with our description of it as a lobbying group.

Amy Daly, executive director of the group, says that it does not lobby and that the California Stem Cell Report is reporting inaccurately.

She sent along the following from co-executive director Constance McKee:

"At your(Daly's) request, I have carried out additional research on Mr. Jensen’s 'definition' that would include our work as a lobbying firm. We do not make representations directly to Congress or its committees, nor do we ask for or accept any fees on behalf of others to do so. We educate individuals as to science and issues, and suggest how they themselves can advocate for stem cell research..... I could find no legal or tax definition under which our activities could be accurately described as 'lobbying.'

"You might be interested in the Supreme Court’s narrow definition of lobbying. Clearly that is not what we do.

"'The U.S. Supreme Court has rejected congressional efforts to regulate grassroots communications as a form of 'lobbying,' on constitutional grounds. In 1953, in a suit involving a congressional resolution authorizing a committee to investigate 'all lobbying activities intended to influence, encourage, promote, or retard legislation,' the Supreme Court narrowly construed 'lobbying activities' to mean only 'direct' lobbying (which the Court described as 'representations made directly to the Congress, its members, or its committees'), and rejected a broader interpretation of 'lobbying' out of First Amendment concerns. [United States v. Rumely, 345 U.S. 41 (1953).]"

Americans for Cures is obviously relying on a narrow legal definition of the word lobbying. However, lobbying has broader meaning. Merriam Webster's Third Unabridged Dictionary notes that lobbying includes conducting "activities (as engaging in personal contacts or the dissemination of information) with the objective of influencing public officials."

The legal definition of lobbying is of great importance to Americans for Cures. Too much lobbying could lead to a loss of its nonprofit status, according to the Nonprofitexpert.com web site.

Nonetheless Americans for Cures makes it clear on its web site that its goals include influencing public policy, declaring that it seeks to help "encourage" decision-makers to fund stem cell research. Indeed, Daly appeared briefly before the CIRM Oversight Committee in January and addressed the question of how the committee should proceed in handling an attempt to overturn a negative decision on a grant application. The group's recent conference in San Francisco promised attendees that they would be taught how "key federal and state programs are funded, and what they can do to make their voices heard," including "specific actions" that advocates "can take to accelerate research and cures."

Some people thing that lobbying is pernicious. We do not. The problems with lobbying result from poor ethical practices, abuses related to power and money and the failure to consider all points of view. Citizens, businesses, nonprofit organizations and other groups can and should be deeply involved in the governmental process. The voices of all are needed in order to formulate the best laws, regulations and policies.

Fresh Comment

"Anonymous" has posted a new comment on the "not so trivial" item below.

Fresh Comment

Jeff Sheehy, a member of the CIRM Oversight Committee, has posted comment on the item below. We have posted a response to his comment. "Anonymous" has also posted a comment on the "political manipulation" item.

CIRM Says: Not So Trivial

The California stem cell agency is defending its statement last week concerning clinical trials stemming from agency-funded research and denies that it put out a press release on the subject.

The comment came from Don Gibbons, chief communications officer for CIRM, in a comment on the Consumer Watchdog web site. Gibbons' comment was directed at the Consumer Watchdog news release that said CIRM funding for the research was trivial (see item below).

Gibbons said,

"Anyone who truly understands how research labs function would not call the CIRM training grant a trivial contribution."

Gibbons continued,

"Also, it should be noted that CIRM did not write a press release or send anything to reporters."

The document put out by CIRM can be found on the "press room" section of the agency's website under 2008 "press releases."

Gibbons' entire comment can be found on the Consumer Watchdog blog under the comments section following the news release by John M. Simpson, the group's stem cell project director.

CIRM Charged with Political Manipulation

The California stem cell agency is "too eager to claim immediate results" from the hundreds of millions of dollars in research that it is funding, the Consumer Watchdog group said today.

John M. Simpson, stem cell project director for the group, said,

"CIRM is jumping on the bandwagon claiming credit for contributions that were at best rather trivial."

Simpson was commenting on the report below – "CIRM Exaggerates Role..."

He said,

"CIRM is too eager to claim immediate results. Certainly we’ll see great benefit as the result of stem cell research, but this political manipulation and hype does a tremendous disservice to all who believe in the value of this research."

Simpson's news release continued:

"Stem cell agency officials repeatedly say, ‘It’s all about the science. If only that were true. More often than not — as in this case — it’s all about appearances, hype and claiming credit."

Fresh Comment

Jesse Reynolds of the Center for Genetics and Society has posted a comment on the item below.

You can read it by clicking on the word "comments" at the end of the item. You can also make a comment by the same method.

CIRM Exaggerates Role in San Diego Clinical Trials Research, Scientist Says

The headline last week from the California stem cell agency read: "First Clinical Trial Begins for a Therapy Enabled By CIRM Funding."

The news was big enough that California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger issued a statement on April 7, hailing the research as a world-leading effort. The governor said,

"Stem cell research, funded by the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine (CIRM), led to the discovery of this new treatment."

CIRM Chairman Robert Klein touted "the CIRM model designed to accelerate the quest for cures." The news also received attention in some newspapers, including the San Diego Union-Tribune.

But at least one well-regarded, California stem cell researcher thinks the agency engaged in exaggeration – perhaps even "fraud" – in making the claims about the role of its funding.

The researcher, who asked not to be identified, told the California Stem Cell Report:

"It appears as though the CIRM has wrongly taken credit for supporting work published by one of its funded grantees and/or the funded grantee has wrongly given credit to CIRM for supporting their research. In either case, the CIRM’s press release on the subject is self-serving and misleading, at best. The press and hESC stem cell research supporters have already latched on to this false claim by CIRM and, as a result, are mistakenly touting CIRM’s effectiveness in the field."

CIRM has defended its statement, which said,

"Researchers at the University of California, San Diego, used a (CIRM) SEED grant from the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine to conduct stem-cell research that verified a suspect gene mutation was by itself necessary and sufficient to cause a class of severe blood diseases called myeloproliferative disorders."

The CIRM statement, which is carried under the press release section of its web site, was modified following queries by the California Stem Cell Report. The release now says that a CIRM training grant was also involved. The current version of the news release, however, does not mention that it was altered from the original.

The initial version of the CIRM statement reportedly triggered concerns among some stem cell scientists and led to one contacting the California Stem Cell Report.

The researcher said in an email:

"The press release 'First Clinical Trial Begins for a Therapy Enabled By CIRM Funding' states that 'Researchers at the University of California, San Diego, used a SEED grant from the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine to conduct stem-cell research …'. The quoted UCSD press release describes the work as involving 'human cord blood stem cells … to find whether over-expression of a single gene could drive, or initiate, the disease … that looked like PV' and says that the '…work [was] supported in part by grants from the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine…'. Both items in the UCSD press release are corroborated by inspection of the Cancer Stem article cited.

"However, the SEED grant mentioned - RS1-00228-1: Derivation and Characterization of Cancer Stem Cells from Human ES Cells – has nothing to do with cord blood stem cells or PV. The SEED grant involves hESCs and another disease altogether, CML: 'To provide a robust model system for screening novel anti-CSC therapies, we propose to generate and characterize CSC from hESC (10-18). We will investigate the role of genes that are essential for initiation of CML such as BCR-ABL and additional mutations such as b-catenin implicated in CSC propagation (19-30).'

"Thus, any claim that the SEED grant monies were used to support the published research is either in error, an over-exaggeration, or, worse, fraud.

"CIRM needs to investigate which of these possibilities is the correct one, issue a retraction of its claim, and ensure that erroneous claims are no longer proffered by CIRM or its grantees."

The research in question was conducted at the University of California, San Diego, by a team led by Catriona Jamieson. Her article in Cancer Cell said in the acknowledgments section that:

"This work was supported in part by grants from the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine and the Mizrahi Family Foundation to E.K., C.B., and C.H.M.J., the National Institutes of Health (K23HL04409) to J.G., and an unrestricted gift from Targe-Gen Inc."

When queried, Don Gibbons, chief communications officer for CIRM, said,

"Jamieson has had a post doc funded by a CIRM training grant since July 2006, so our funds helped every stage of this work through his salary. The SEED grant to Jamieson was approved in February (2007) and the Notice of Grant Award went to the institution in July. It is typical for institutions to forward fund after an NGA pending arrival of the first check, which happened in September. The journal asked for additional experiments after the initial submission of the paper, and the Seed grant helped complete those added experiments that resulted in final publication.

"The SEED grant does require that Jamieson use embryonic stem cells at some point during the two year grant cycle, but it also funds many other aspects of the science. Our scientific strategic plan does not call for just funding stem cell work directly; it calls for accelerating the field as a whole."

Gibbons later said that UCSD provided no advance funding for the CIRM grant, which was not signed off by UCSD until Aug. 31, 2007, according to another source. Jamieson's article was first submitted for publication Sept. 19, 2007, according to the source.

We asked Jamieson if she had any comment on the CIRM news release issue. She simply referred us to the statement contained in the acknowledgment section of her Cancer Cell article.

The stem cell researcher who is critical of CIRM said that "...because (the agency) perceives a need to produce results rapidly (it) has, perhaps inadvertently and perhaps not, latched on without checking the facts (although in my mind the facts are quite obvious and need little checking)."

Fresh Comment

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How Many Hats for Klein?

The Center for Genetics and Society is tackling Robert Klein and his "incompatible" roles as head of a $3 billion, state-of-California stem cell enterprise and his leadership of a private group that attempts to influence politicians and government leaders concerning stem cell research.

The conflicting roles are not new. They have existed since 2004 but have attracted almost no attention in the mainstream media. Klein (see photo) is both chairman of the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine (the state group) and president of Americans for Cures, which is headquartered in the office of his real estate investment business.

Writing on Biopolitical Times, the blog for the center, Jesse Reynolds, who has followed CIRM since its birth, says:

"Imagine the response if the appointed head of California’s Department of Transportation was also the leader of a highway-building advocacy group that issued statements praising the department head, attacked his or her political opponents, raised funds for allies, spread misinformation about the benefits of highways, and compiled arguments against mass transit and bicycling."

Reynold also writes:

"Not only is (Klein) juggling two incompatible roles - stem cell booster and public servant - but under his guidance, his advocacy organization has attacked his political opponents, praised his own work, and spread misleading information. "

Reynolds continues:

"After the ballot measure passed in November 2004, Klein tried to wear both hats, those of booster and of public servant. The initiative campaign transformed into the advocacy group California Research and Cures Coalition, which remained headed by Klein and operated out of his business office in Palo Alto. In response to public criticism, he quickly resigned from the organization.

"But Klein couldn't resist politicking for his cause. In 2006, a new group appeared, Americans for Stem Cell Therapies and Cures, with Klein again at the helm. Its first action was to issue a public letter smearing Sen. Deborah Ortiz (D-Sacramento) on the eve of her primary election for Secretary of State. She had been the most vocal supporter of the stem cell initiative in the state house, but was now backing legislation to reform the agency. As a taxable lobbying group, Klein's outfit raised also raised money for his political allies in the fall 2006 general election.

"Now, Americans for Stem Cell Therapies has assumed the mantle of both the California Research and Cures Coalition and Americans for Stem Cell Therapies and Cures. Two months ago, it issued a press release backing one of Klein's pet projects at the CIRM. What's more, it is extensively downplaying the potential of a new alternative to the use of embryos in stem cell research - an alternative whose ascendance would call into question the relevancy of CIRM and its use of taxpayer dollars during a time of budget crunching."

Learning How to Tell the Stem Cell Story

The private lobbying group of the chairman of the California stem cell agency is holding a two-day session this Saturday and Sunday in San Francisco and promises to help advocates learn more about how to make their voices heard.

The group is the Americans for Cures Foundation, whose president is Robert Klein, who also serves as chair of the $3 billion state of California Institute for Regenerative Medicine. It is unusual for the head of a state agency to also have his own advocacy group in the same field, as we have noted previously.

Klein and Alan Trounson, president of CIRM, are both scheduled to speak along with a number of scientists as well as advocacy experts.

The session is reasonably priced -- $100 for both days, If that is too much, it's a good bet that a call to the group could lead to assistance.

The agenda is heavily loaded towards hands-on advocacy and selling the message. We suspect it would be a good value for those who want to learn more about telling the stem cell story.

We should also note that Klein's group has a redesigned and much improved web site, which is worth checking out.

FDA Worries About Stem Cell Trials

Tomorrow the FDA begins a two-day hearing involving stem cell research and human trials. Monya Baker of Nature magazine's stem cell blog, The Niche, has some insights into the session. Among other things, she writes,

"The FDA is mainly worried that the animal tests used to assess safety problems aren’t good enough and that they won’t know until too late that the transplanted cells are causing harm rather than benefit."

It is a good bet that the California perspective will be heard at the meeting, both from CIRM and at least some of the state's biotech firms.

(Shortly after this item was first posted, we ran across a related posting from Biopolitical Times that carries a report about the problems with human research protection.)

Money Up Front for CIRM Lab Dough?

Looking for more on the Calfornia stem cell agency's lab grant program -- "the largest stem cell infrastructure component in the world?"

Take a look at an item by John M. Simpson of the Consumer Watchdog group, once known as the Foundation for Taxpayer and Consumer Rights.

He quotes Alan Trounson, CIRM president, on the size of the effort, which is now set at about $758 million, including matching funds.

Simpson also provides a list of the scores for each of the 12 applicants, with Stanford (my father and brother's alma mater) at 95 and UCLA (my alma mater) at 73.

Simpson reports that the agency is considering paying an entire grant up front if the recipient agrees to reduce the amount requested. That would be one way to deal with the $48 million shortfall in CIRM funding compared to the amounts requested. (See the "Millions Cut item.) However, it is also one way for grant recipients to play a little loose with the money.

CIRM Executive Salaries Take a Hit

Should the president of the California stem cell agency, with roughly 26 employees, be paid $300,000 more annually than the director of the National Institutes of Health, which has nearly 19,000 staffers?

No, according to the Consumer Watchdog of Santa Monica, Ca. Its stem cell project director, John M. Simpson, says,

"CIRM's salaries are ridiculously out of whack."

Writing on the blog of the Consumer Watchdog, a group once known as the Foundation for Taxpayer and Consumer Rights, Simpson offers as the chief support for his view the following salaries for NIH executives:

"Elias Zerhouni, Director, NIH: $191,300 (increased in January from $186,600)
John Niederhuber, Director, National Cancer Institute: $247,500
Francis Collins, Director, National Human Genome Research Institute: $300,000
Story Landis, Director, National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Strokes: $260,000"

Simpson's figures come via reporter Jim Downing of The Sacramento Bee, who obtained them from the NIH.

Simpson compares them to the $490,000 salary earned by CIRM President Alan Trounson and the $310,000 being paid to Marie Csete, recently hired as CIRM's chief scientific officer.

The salaries have recently come under increased fire because of the state's budget crisis. Salaries of public servants are always lightning rods, even in the best of times. They are far easier for the media and the public to understand than some of the financial inequities created by Prop. 13, the property tax initiative approved years ago and that now, in many ways, cripples local government in California.

The CIRM salaries are also dwarfed by the pay of some physicians within the University of California system, who earn more than $750,000 a year. And they are tiny compared to the wages earned by some of the men at UC who supervise boys running and throwing balls. Their pay can approach $2 million annually.

Nonetheless the salaries at CIRM are a perception problem, at the very least. The agency must develop a stout defense for them, which it does not seem to currently have. Otherwise, CIRM will continue to suffer attacks from critics who find the pay levels extreme.

Millions Cut from CIRM Lab Grant Requests, Millions More Approved

California's unprecedented $758 million stem cell lab construction program completed another chapter this weekend, but fell $48 million short of fulfilling the desires of 12 universities and research institutions.

All of the 12 saw their requests cut by millions as their applications cleared CIRM's Facilities Working Group during a two-day meeting in San Francisco. None was eliminated, however, and none is likely to be eliminated when the grants come up for final action by CIRM directors (the Oversight Committee) May 6 and 7.

CIRM directors have never reversed a recommendation for funding made by their working groups.

The 12 California institutions had sought $336 million from CIRM. The Facilities Working Group approved $289 million, compared to the $262 million budgeted by CIRM. The stem cell lab construction program proposed by applicants totals $832 million, including matching funds. CIRM has proposed funding that would total $758 million, including matching funds.

CIRM said in a news release that the Oversight Committee will address at its May meeting the difference between the $289 million approved this weekend and the $262 million budgeted.

John M. Simpson, stem cell project director for Consumer Watchdog (formerly known as the Foundation for Taxpayer and Consumer Rights), attended the facilities meeting. In an email, he said the main question was how to cut money from the requests.

"At (CIRM President Alan) Trounson's suggestion the FWG (Facilities Working Group) score, which was on a scale of 100, was treated as a percentage, so for example, Stanford with a score of 95 will get 95% percent of its request. Using this method, they cut $47 million.

"Interestingly most of the applicants there seemed to think this could work. Some had been worried that entire programs would be cut."

Some of the cuts were rather large. UCLA saw its $30 million request cut by $8 million. The $50 million request from the San Diego stem cell consortium (UC San Diego, Scripps, Burnham and Salk) request was slashed $7 million. UC Irvine lost more than $7 million out of a $37 million request. (A full list of the applicants, the amounts requested, amounts recommended and total project cost can be found here.)

The Oversight Committee decisions on the funding will ultimately be made by only a handful of its 29 members, perhaps as few as eight or less. The reason is that about 18 of the directors have financial ties to institutions seeking the taxpayer funds. Those directors will be barred by law from even discussing the issue.

The CIRM news release touted the economic benefits of the construction program. Marie Csete, the agency's new chief scientific officer, said the grants will help to build "optimal facilities for our scientists and will extend California's leadership in stem cell science."

As far as we can tell, no mainstream news media carried reports on the weekend action. The agency continues to receive little notice from California newspapers and even less from the electronic media.

The Facilities Group met in public session, as it did on a previous round of lab grants. However, scientific reviews of the programs were conducted behind closed doors by scientific reviewers who do not publicly disclose any potential conflicts of interest.

(Editor's note: Our figures differ slightly from CIRM's. The discrepancies appear to be related to rounding.)

CIRM Bill Moves on in California Legislature

Legislation aimed at California's unprecedented $3 billion stem cell research effort this week easily cleared its first hurdle -- as expected.

The measure by Sen. Sheila Kuehl, D-Santa Monica, now moves on the state Senate Judiciary Committee, where it is likely to win approval as well. Kuehl is part of the Senate leadership and chair of the Senate Health Committee, which unanimously approved her bill, SB1565, on an 11-0 vote. Co-author of the bill is Republican George Runner of Antelope Valley, who is part of the GOP Senate leadership.

The legislation is designed to provide affordable access to therapies developed with taxpayer funds and correct problems associated with conflicts of interest at CIRM.

The legislative staff analysis of the bill said that its authors believe

"...that, given CIRM/ICOC's unique formation as a public entity, the level of public investment--$3 billion in bond funds that will amount to a General Fund expenditure of $6 billion (including interest), and the close-knit nature of the scientific community, CIRM and the ICOC should be thoroughly scrutinized by an independent body to ensure the highest level of public trust and confidence."

CIRM has opposed similar legislation in the past, but according to John M. Simpson, stem cell project director for Consumer Watchdog, the group formerly known as the Foundation for Taxpayer and Consumer Rights, CIRM is now taking a more measured stand.

Simpson, who attended the hearing earlier this week, reported:

"CIRM's Interim Director of Legislative Relations Sue North told the Senate Health Committee, 'We have no formal position on the bill and hope to resolve any differences administratively.'"

Simpson opined on the Consumer Watchdog blog that the CIRM position marked an improvement from the days when CIRM Chairman Robert Klein declared that one legislator who was also a longtime supporter of stem cell researcher was an "ongoing threat" to CIRM.

Consumer Watchdog supported the CIRM legislation but said it did not go far enough. Simpson said,

"We need a provision that allows the state attorney general to intervene if drugs or therapies funded by the stem cell agency are priced unreasonably. We've seen too many cases where companies benefit from publicly funded research and then set prices at obscene levels. They act like socialists when seeking research funding but are greedy capitalists when there are profits on the table."

Also supporting the measure were American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME), the California Alliance for Retired Americans, California Nurses Association, Center for Genetics and Society, Gray Panthers, Greenlining Institute and the Pro-Choice Alliance for Responsible Research

CIRM Seeking Egg Donation Comments

The California stem cell agency has prepared a draft of guidelines for reducing risk in connection with the donation of human eggs for stem cell research and is seeking comments on them from the research community and others.

The draft can be found here. A related document concerning the history of the guidelines and their purpose can be found here.

In addition to general remarks, Geoff Lomax, senior officer for the CIRM Standards Working Group, is asking for comments on the following:

"The utility of the guidelines for reviewing studies proposing to obtain oocytes for research

"The consistency of the guidelines with current clinical protocols and standards of care

"General feasibility considerations with the draft guidelines."

The impact of these guidelines will go well beyond California, which is currently in the global forefront of setting standards for human embryonic stem cell research. Seeking comment at early stage and posting the information on its web site serves CIRM well, opening the door to all who are interested or who have something at stake.

Sailing Time-Out for Blogger

We are setting sail Saturday morning from Guaymas for Mazatlan and will be at sea for several days. So we will not have any fresh postings until late next week.

We have been on the hard, as the maritime term goes, for far too long, performing unpleasant but necessary boat maintenance chores. It is great to be back on the water.

'Doing It Right,' Cerberus Simpson Says

Both the California stem cell agency and the Interstate Alliance on Stem Cell Research have come in for some praise from Consumer Watchdog's John M. Simpson, who has followed California stem cell issues closely for several years.

Simpson, who was once thrown out of a meeting of the interstate group, lauded it for an early posting an agenda for its meeting April 9-10 in Washington. He also remarked that CIRM has done better recently on posting materials for some of its meetings. He particularly cited Rick Keller, senior officer for Scientific and Medical Research Facilities.

Writing on the Consumer Watchdog's blog, Simpson said,

"Public policy should always be made in public. And the public must have timely advance access to what's being discussed. That's how policy-makers actually build true support for their actions. Perhaps after a few -- sometimes less than gentle -- nudges from folks like me that message is getting across in these two cases."

Bravo on Timely Posting of Lab Grant Documents

The California stem cell agency today posted on its web site the staff analysis and other key documents in its $758 million lab grant construction program, a full week ahead of their scheduled public review.

Congratulations to CIRM and its tiny staff for the timely posting. It well serves the agency, interested parties and the public, providing ample time to review the complex documents and prepare comments, if so desired. Posting and preparing the material is no small task. The documents are large and intricate. And no one wants to make mistakes.

In addition to the staff analysis of the applications, the newly posted material includes lab planner's evaluations and applicant comments. The applications in CIRM's single largest round of grants will be evaluated at a two-day session of the Facilities Working Group in San Francisco, beginning next Friday,

CIRM Seeking IP Lawyer and Presidential Consultant

Attention IP attorneys and anybody – almost – who wants to tell the president of the California stem cell agency what to do.

CIRM is looking for a couple of people to come to its assistance on a temporary basis. The IP gig is part-time for six months for $150,000. The consultant to the president is scheduled for only four months fulltime for $80,000.

The IP position caught our eye for several reasons. One is that it lists an hourly rate of $150, rather low for a 15-year veteran of the biotech/IP field, which is the experience level that CIRM seeks. Another curiosity about the position: An hourly rate of $150 for 20 hours a week for about six months weeks amounts to $78,000, somewhat less than the $150,000 allotted for the job. The RFP also requires the winning bidder for the contract to cover his own "personal and business" expenses within that rate, except for "additional expenses, incurred at CIRM's direction."

The RFP highlights the nature of the legal work and management structure within CIRM, and not just because the agency is treading new ground on IP. The agency has a general counsel, who one might think would oversee the entire legal staff. However, virtually since its inception, CIRM has signed on with Remcho, Johansen & Purcell of San Leandro, Ca., for legal advice at a cost of more than $1 million.

While the reporting lines are not entirely clear, Remcho's James Harrison seems to be directed primarily by Robert Klein, the CIRM chair. On CIRM staff is attorney Scott Tocher, who once appeared to report to the president of the agency but now has been moved under Klein's control. Tamar Pachter, the general counsel, reports to President Alan Trounson via the chief operating officer. The new legal "temp" will report to Trounson and "coordinate" with the general counsel.

We ran the RFP by one observer who is knowledgeable about CIRM and IP work. That person confirmed that the hourly rate was at the low end and also indicated that the RFP was unclear about whether a firm or person was desired. Our observer also said,

"If the contract is not renewed, the attorney has still been paid to become one of the world's leading experts on stem cell IP, funding and commercialization. There is a good chance that this new-found expertise will lead to job opportunities with law firms, companies, non-profits, universities, etc. Even a law firm might be willing to discount its rates heavily to get this work to establish itself as a player in this field."

The RFP for the presidential consultant seeks a scientific professional (Ph.D.) with 15 years experience. In addition to a wide range of advice, the RFP indicates the person will be asked to develop "alternative resource opportunities for increased flexibility and productivity of CIRM research and clinical applications."

Both positions were posted just last week under "CIRM RFPs" instead of the job listings on the CIRM site. The deadline for applications is April 1 with work beginning shortly thereafter. Given the short time frame, it is likely that CIRM has candidates in mind for both positions.

CIRM is also seeking to fill the IP position permanently through its job listings. Other open positions include finance officer, scientific officer, senior administrative coordinator and communications manager.