$5.5 Billion California Stem Cell Countdown: Proposal Inches Towards Ballot

Efforts to place a $5.5 billion stem cell measure on California's November ballot edged slowly ahead yesterday with a slight increase in the number of valid voter signatures, which are critical to qualifying the proposal for presentation to voters. 

The proposal, which is aimed at saving the financial life of the state stem cell agency, needs 623,212 valid signatures of registered voters to make the ballot. Tuesday's total was 71,873, up from 45,407 the previous day. 

The total of unverified, raw signatures was unchanged at 917,722. Only one county, San Mateo, has not reported its raw totals.

The overall rejection rate for signatures stood at 23 percent, also nearly unchanged. Disqualification rates are higher in the more populous counties so far. If campaign has actually submitted 925,000 signatures, as it has claimed, it will need a disqualification rate statewide of no more than 32.6 percent to reach the required number. 

Without an infusion of substantial cash, the stem cell agency, which is running out of money, will begin closing its doors next fall.

County officials have until June 24 to complete their validation of signatures and submit the figures to the state. 

Look for an update on the signature count this evening or early tomorrow right here on the California Stem Cell Report. 

The $5.5 Billion Stem Cell Count: A Bright Spot and a Not-So-Bright Spot

The effort to save the $3 billion California stem cell agency from financial extinction received some bad news and some good news late today, both of which could be expected. 

At stake is whether a $5.5 billion bond measure will be placed on the November ballot. The funds would be used to refinance the agency, which is running out of money and will begin closing its doors beginning next fall without an infusion of cash.

Qualifying the measure for the ballot requires 623,212 valid signatures of registered voters.  

Late today, the updated count of "raw," unvalidated signatures rose to 917,222 from 824,777 last Friday. The campaign for the ballot initiative has said it submitted 925,000 signatures to county election officials. Only one county, San Mateo, has not yet completed its raw count. 

The bad news is that the interim percentage of invalid signatures now stands at 24 percent, up from 18 percent. It is common to see large percentages of signatures disqualified during the verification process, sometimes as high as 50 percent. 

Today's rate rose because Sacramento reported that it disqualified 25.2 percent of the 35,792 raw signatures turned in by the campaign, The statewide rate will change as more counties report their validation numbers.

If campaign has actually submitted 925,000 signatures, it will need a disqualification rate statewide of no more than 32.6 percent to reach the required number. 

County officials have until June 24 to complete their validation of signatures and submit the figures to the state. 

Look for an update on the signature count Tuesday evening or early Wednesday right here on the California Stem Cell Report. 

The $5.5 Billion Stem Cell Count: Stagnant at 824,777 'Raw' Signatures

The signature count to determine whether a $5.5 billion stem cell research initiative will come before California voters next fall remains unchanged this morning at 824,777 "raw" signatures. 

Also stagnant is the number of valid signatures -- 12,440. 

The proposal needs 623,212 valid signatures to qualify, but many of the "raw" signatures are likely to be disqualified. Only those from registered voters are accepted. The current disqualification rate is running at 18 percent, according to state election officials.  That rate involves smaller counties and could change. Also changing will be the number of valid signatures as county officials wade through the petitions. 

The raw total this morning is up from 760,601 earlier in the week. The campaign says it has submitted 925,000 "raw" signatures to county election officials. 

Known officially as the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine (CIRM), the state agency is running out of the $3 billion provided by voters in 2004. It will begin shuttering its doors late this year without a financial infusion. 

Look for an update on the signature count Monday evening right here on the California Stem Cell Report. 

Today's California Stem Cell Research Awards: $2 Million for Sickle Cell, $1 Million for Covid-19

Guy Sauvageau, founder and CEO, of ExcellThera. 

The firm was awarded $2 million today for a 

clinical trial for sickle cell disease. Video from 

Meeting on the Mesa, October 2019

The California stem cell agency this morning awarded $2 million for research to treat sickle cell disease plus another $1 million to  assist in the battle against Covid-19, which has killed 304,000 persons worldwide and 2,934 in California. 

The sickle cell award went to a Canadian firm, ExcellThera, Inc., that is conducting a clinical trial involving the disease, which afflicts as many as 100,000 Americans, principally African-Americans. The firm is providing $857,143 in matching funds. 

Pierre Caudrelier, chief medical officer at the Montreal firm, is using umbilical cord stem cells from healthy donors, which could help solve the issue of matching and availability of sickle cell treatments. The location of the California work is not yet known. 

Winners in today's Covid round are:

Michael Matthay at UC San Francisco, $750,000, to assist in a clinical trial to develop an injectable biomaterial platform that can induce T memory stem cells and boost immunoactivation to vaccines against SARS-CoV-2, which will help protect elderly people. The trial also involves UC Davis. (application number CLIN2COVID19-11823)

Stuart Lipton at Scripps Research Institute, $150,000, to develop a drug that is both anti-viral and protects the brain against coronavirus-related damage. (application number DISC2COVID19-11811)

 

Justin Ichida at the USC, $150,000, to determine if a drug called a kinase inhibitor can protect stem cells in the lungs, which are selectively infected and killed by the novel coronavirus. (application number DISC2COVID19-11901)

The three Covid-19 awards today leave about $2.9 million in the Covid-19 round. It has rolling application deadlines that surface every two weeks with next coming next Tuesday.

In addition to Matthay, two of the 12 Covid-19 applicants filed appeal letters with the CIRM governing board. They are Song Li of UCLA, appeal letter, and Celularity Inc., of New Jersey, appeal letter. 

The CIRM governing board rejected Li's and Celularity's applications, but they may resubmit them next Tuesday with modifications. Their scores and rankings can be found here along with the summary of their reviews, as well as summaries of all reviews. 

The stem cell agency, officially known as the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine(CIRM), is expected to run out of cash this year. It is hoping that a $5.5 billion, refinancing proposal will qualify for the ballot this fall and be approved by voters. Currently, election officials are trying to determine whether the measure as the necessary number of signatures of registered voters to qualify. 

Here is a link to CIRM's news release on today's meeting.

The $5.5 Billion Stem Cell Count: Latest Report Climbs to 824,777 'Raw' Signatures

The latest count in the race to save California's stem cell research program from financial extinction shows that its backers have chalked up 824,777 "raw" signatures in their effort to place a $5.5 billion proposal on the November ballot. 

The number this morning is up from 760,601 yesterday. The proposal needs only 623,212 valid signatures to qualify, but many of the "raw" signatures are likely to be disqualified. Only those from registered voters are accepted. The current disqualification rate is running at 18 percent, according to state election officials.  That rate involves smaller counties and could change. 

The campaign says it has submitted 925,000 signatures to county election officials. 

This morning's increase in signatures reflects the addition of signatures from Orange County and less populous areas. Still to be heard from are San Bernardino and San Mateo. Officials in California's 58 counties have until June 24 to complete verification of signatures. 

Known officially as the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine (CIRM), the state agency is running out the $3 billion provided by voters in 2004. It will begin shuttering its doors late this year without a financial infusion. 

Look for an update on the signature count this evening or early tomorrow right here on the California Stem Cell Report.