printable versionStem cell ruling opens door to quest to find new cures
BY AMY ADAMS
Irving Weissman
Scientists at the School of Medicine greeted the April 21 ruling to allow state funding of stem cell research as a welcome opportunity to take stem cell research out of the courts and into their laboratories, where they are anxious to begin work that may lead to better treatments for such diseases as diabetes, cancer, Parkinson's and Alzheimer's.
"Any parties engaging in further delays of the state stem cell funding should consider the lives of those at risk to be their responsibility," said Irving Weissman, MD, director of the Stanford Institute for Stem Cell Biology and Regenerative Medicine. "While further delays by appeal are possible, one should note that such actions would delay research, which eventually could ameliorate disease and save human lives."
The decision comes after months of litigation, in which groups with ties to the anti-abortion movement had challenged the constitutionality of Proposition 71—the measure that voters approved in 2004 to provide $3 billion in state funds for stem cell research over the next 10 years. State Court Judge Bonnie Lewman Sabraw issued the April 21 ruling that the California Institute of Regenerative Medicine, established by Prop. 71 to oversee the grants, could begin funding projects.
"The judge has clearly found Prop. 71 and the CIRM to be constitutional and responsive to the needs of the state," said Weissman. "I would hope that, in the absence of further appeals, the CIRM and the state will sell bonds and send out descriptions of how biomedical research institutions can apply for research grants and for grants to aid in the preparation of facilities that would allow us to comply with the federal ban on funding research in certain stem cell areas."
Federal rules bar work with all but a select number of stem cell lines in facilities funded by federal grants, making it necessary to build new space for research involving the other stem cell lines.
In spite of the legal challenge, the CIRM had already managed to begin raising some money for stem cell work, though it involved a different financing method than anticipated when the institute was first established. On April 10, the CIRM was able to fund a round of grants by selling bond anticipatory notes to six investors. Those grants will fund 169 research trainees for the next three years. The medical school was one of nine recipients of those funds.
"The training grants, while they're in service of research by training people to work with stem cells, would not actually allow the research to go forward," said Weissman. But if the decision stands, the CIRM could back the building of new facilities and the research that would follow.
The ruling provided a much-needed boost to scientists' morale. A number of recent media reports had maintained that the California stem cell effort was floundering. With this ruling, Weissman said the state would continue to be attractive to stem cell researchers worldwide. "This should enable us to recruit the kind of personnel from around the world who are highly qualified yet are unable to work with stem cells in their home facilities," he said.