San Diego UT: Down with Gliders, Up with ESC

"Lamentable in the extreme" – that's how the San Diego Union-Tribune characterizes the opposition of glider airplane fans to the $115 million stem cell research facility proposed in La Jolla.

The lab is being planned by the San Diego Consortium for Regenerative Medicine, which wants $50 million from the California stem cell agency to help build it.

An editorial in the San Diego paper this week cited the "enormous potential" for development of therapies at the laboratory and said,

"It would be a tragedy of enormous proportions if glider advocates succeeded in snuffing out this promising initiative."

It should be noted that embryonic stem cell research is a hot issue in the San Diego area, which has a strong, conservative element. The newspaper's editorial on behalf of the consortium did not contain the word "embryonic," which we assume is deliberate, although the newspaper has supported embryonic stem cell research in the past.

The editorial also contained more details on the opposition. It said:

"The Associated Glider Clubs of Southern California and the Torrey Pines Soaring Council are attempting to kill the project because it would be built on North Torrey Pines Road near the Torrey Pines Gliderport(see photos from the Associated Glider Clubs). The unpaved airstrip, on land owned by UCSD, is used intermittently by glider pilots, while a larger number of hang-gliders use the nearby cliffs to launch into flight over the Pacific.

"The new research lab, about 60 feet tall, would have no impact on the hang-gliders. But there is fierce disagreement over whether it would interfere with conventional glider operations, which are relatively few and scattered throughout the year.

"Opponents claim the new building would force closure of the gliderport, an assertion they also made unsuccessfully in their bid to prevent UCSD from building a 14-story dormitory on a nearby parcel. Supporters of the lab point out, however, that it would be no taller than the surrounding eucalyptus trees, which glider pilots have been negotiating for years. An environmental impact report compiled for UCSD concludes the lab would not prompt the end of glider operations, but that it could require pilots to alter their flight patterns. In the end, both the California Coasstal Commission and Caltrans' aeronautic division must issue permits for the lab's construction."

The newspaper also printed two letters concerning the project , including one from Rolf Schulze, president of the Associated Glider Clubs of Southern California. He commented on the meeting Monday night on the environmental impact report for the laboratory, which the newspaper did not cover. Schulze said:

"Some speakers in opposition to the location of the stem cell facility not only mentioned their vote for the stem cell initiative in 2004 but also their personal interest in the anticipated benefits of such research due to their own, or a relative's illness, which could perhaps be cured.

"UCSD owns many other nearby sections of land that would be even more suitable for the stem cell facility, while not resulting in the destruction of a world-renowned and historic aviation facility used by Charles Lindbergh and many other aviation pioneers."

Chippewa to San Francisco: The $758 Million Stem Cell Media Challenge

The Associated Press files stories every day to 1,700 newspapers and 5,000 radio and television outlets in the United States. So when it reports on California stem cell news, the stories have an impact – one that goes well beyond, shall we say, the surf-scrubbed sands of La Jolla.

The case in point is an article by reporter Terri Somers of the San Diego Union-Tribune, the most diligent biotech reporter in the state. She writes more often on biotech and stem cell research than any other newspaper reporter in the state.

But her stories usually are only seen – at least the print versions -- in San Diego, far from the key East Coast news axis of New York and Washington, D.C.

However, she wrote Sunday about a $115 million stem cell research complex proposed in La Jolla – a structure that could be funded with as much as $50 million from the California stem cell agency.

The AP decided to pick up the story – rewrite it in a much shorter version, but without crediting Somers or the San Diego paper – a standard and legal practice for the news service. The AP then sent the story out across a good portion of the globe. It appeared on websites of more than 100 news outlets ranging from Dallas to the UK. Time magazine carried it as did ABC, CBS, Forbes, the Washington Times, an Arizona TV station, a Florida newspaper, CTV in Canada, FoxNews, not to mention the Chippewa Herald in Wisconsin.

The AP missed the much larger story – that the California stem cell agency is about to set off a $758 million, stem-cell-lab-building spree, the likes of which have never been seen before in this country. But that is not to disrespect The AP, but to explain a little bit about how news works.

It takes a lot to push a story out into the national or international market. It also takes luck and receptive reporters and editors. The California stem cell agency, however, has a chance to make major headlines come May 6 when it approves a couple hundred millions of dollars to help build those nearly three-quarter-of-a-billion dollars in labs.

But CIRM can only do it by starting to prime the news pump now, alerting key reporters and editors and providing them in advance with the background needed to make sense out of a somewhat complex process: Photos, drawings, map and chart material, good quotes (not the gobbledygook that sometimes comes out of the mouths of some top CIRM officials) and referrals to knowledgeable and friendly third party experts who can explain the significance of the effort in language that readers can understand.

In California, the mainstream media has so far successfully largely ignored the lab grant program, with the notable exception of Somers. Ironically, the San Diego project, while quite substantial, is not the largest. Stanford has proposed a $200 million stem cell research center. The San Francisco Bay area altogether could see something like $400 million in stem cell lab construction if the visions dancing in the heads of the scientists materialize. But nary a peep about the magnitude of the program has been seen in the mainstream media in Northern California.

Meanwhile, Somers, who like most reporters is undoubtedly underpaid and under-appreciated, will have to be satisfied with the psychic reward of seeing her work spread, albeit anonymously, throughout the world.

Fresh Comment

A statement from Kwang-Yul Cha's attorney has been posted as a "comment" on the Flamm item below.

Stem Cell Watchdog Begins Third Year

The Consumer Watchdog group and its stem cell project director, John M. Simpson, have won another $100,000 grant to continue monitoring the California stem cell agency and to expand their efforts into other states.

The Nathan Cummings Foundation is providing the funding for the Consumer Watchdog effort for the third consecutive year, Simpson said.

The latest grant, however, calls for Simpson (see photo) to move beyond California and take a crack at stem cell research efforts in other states as well as publicly funded medical research on a national level.

The grant application said Consumer Watchdog combines "policy research and focused legal and media advocacy to ensure transparency standards, conflict of interest prohibitions, public benefit requirements and other safeguards are in place to protect consumer interests and to maximize consumer access to medical advances resulting from public funding."

Simpson, a former top level newspaper editor, ranks among the most regular attendees at CIRM meetings and has a wide range of contacts in the California stem cell community.

At the January meeting of the CIRM Oversight Committee, one member of that panel, Joan Samuelson, spoke up after Simpson disclosed his group's stem cell funding sources and plans for 2008. She told Simpson,

"I'm glad you're here.... I thank him for his hard work and contribution to what we're doing toward the mission. I think you're an important element. We need the oversight."

Flamm Wins Latest Round Against Korean Stem Cell Researcher

Remember the case of Korean stem cell scientist Kwang Yul Cha versus a California physician?

Cha sued Bruce Flamm, a Kaiser physician and faculty member at UC Irvine, for libel, contending that Flamm was engaged in a personal vendetta. The lawsuit involved published criticism by Flamm of a 2001 article by Cha and two others in the Journal of Reproductive Medicine concerning "distant" prayer and IVF success rates.

Today a Los Angeles superior court judge dismissed Cha's lawsuit. Flamm said in a news release:

"Today's ruling is a victory for science and freedom of speech. Scientists must be allowed to question bizarre claims and correct errors.

"Cha's mysterious study was designed and allegedly conducted by a man who turned out to be a criminal with a 20-year history of fraud. A criminal who steals the identities of dead children to obtain bank loans and passports is not a trustworthy source of research data. Cha could have simply admitted this obvious fact but instead he hired Beverly Hills lawyers to punish me for voicing my opinions."

Cha also surfaced in connection with the California stem cell agency when a nonprofit subsidiary of his organization won a research grant from CIRM. After the grant was approved, the media reported its links to Cha along with news about the controversy surrounding some of Cha's research. Last October, Cha's group withdrew its application for the CIRM grant.

It was not known whether Cha plans to appeal the latest ruling.

Correction

The item below incorrectly described tonight's meeting concerning the San Diego consortium's plans as a "protest" meeting. It is actually a meeting called by the consortium as part of the environmental impact process. Protesters are expected to be there.

San Diego Consortium's Stem Cell Lab Plans and How They Came About

The folks in San Diego call it a "collaboratory" – a $115 million structure to be built under the auspices of four of the world's stem cell research powerhouses.

They are the Scripps, Burnham and Salk institutes and the University of California campus at San Diego – all united under the banner of the San Diego Consortium for Regenerative Medicine.

Reporter Terri Somers of the San Diego Union-Tribune Sunday took a front-page look at the project (see drawing), which is seeking $50 million in construction funding from the California stem cell agency. It is scheduled to make decisions in early May on grant applications from throughout California that would led to $758 million in stem cell lab construction.

Somers story was chockablock with interesting stuff. She wrote:

"It took three men the scientists fondly refer to as 'the town elders' – real estate mogul Malin Burnham, Padres owner John Moores and Qualcomm founder Irwin Jacobs – to help it become a reality.

"'Without their pressure, encouragement and support, (the consortium) wouldn't have happened,' said Fred Gage, a stem cell researcher at Salk."

(Moores was a key financial supporter of CIRM, purchasing $2 million in bond anticipation notes from CIRM when its finances were tied up in litigation.)

Somers also reported,

"An out-of-state philanthropist, whom the consortium declined to identify, has pledged to donate $30 million, with $10 million paid upfront. The remainder would be in $2 million annual increments."

Somers said that Moores gave the consortium $250,000 in seed money and requested the institutes come up with $50,000 each. The 7.5 acres for the building comes from UCSD and is valued at $15 million,

She reported that collaborative efforts sometimes have had difficulty in the past, including one involving UC San Francisco and Stanford. Somers wrote,

"The difficulties arise from every institution having its own culture. Smaller institutes relish their autonomy and operating freedom in contrast to larger, more bureaucratic institutions, such as UCSD.

"Issues ranging from who will be the boss to fear of losing donations, or disputes over who will own scientific discoveries, often kill such partnerships before they start, said Zach Hall, founding president of the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine.

"'It's a testament to the vitality and sense of community that is in San Diego that this has happened,' said Hall, who is now retired. Three years ago, when putting together the strategic plan for the state stem cell institute, Hall listed fostering collaboration as a top goal.

"'For these San Diego institutes to overcome all the obstacles is a real payoff for the long-term vision that San Diego had years ago in setting aside some space for the development of scientific activities,' he said."

CIRM scientific reviewers ranked the project at the top of the 12 lab grant applications. Facilities reviewers ranked it No. 4.

However, that does not matter much to some folks who are not pleased about the project. They say it would mean the end to the Torrey Pines Gliderport, which is in the National Register of Historic Places. A meeting is scheduled for Monday night at which some of the concerns of the glider folks are expected to be aired. In Napa, some 600 miles to the north, on Wednesday night, the state Historical Resources Commission will consider whether to expand the borders of the Gliderport.

Somers story picked up some reader reaction on the Internet, which can be found at the end of her story or here. One reader complained about "greedy scientists fighting over patents." Another decried "welfare for professionals in these lean financial times." One reader suggested the lab be located inland in El Cajon to save money. Responded another reader, "All the Right Wing Christian Coalition fanatics in that town would chase them out. EL Cajon is only known for strip bars, meth dens and a nut case mayor."

(An earlier version of this item described the Monday meeting involving the gliderport as a protest meeting. The meeting is actually part of the EIR process.)

Fresh Comments

John M. Simpson, stem cell project director for Consumer Watchdog, has posted a comment on the item below. We have also posted a note concerning his item.

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

"Vanessa" has posted a new comment on the "egg donation" comment item.

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.