Stanford Report, March 8, 2006

Commonwealth Club honors stem cell work

The Commonwealth Club gave one of its 2006 Distinguished Citizen Awards to the Stanford Institute for Stem Cell Biology and Regenerative Medicine for its work advancing this burgeoning new field.

Irving Weissman, MD, the institute's director and the Virginia & D.K. Ludwig Professor of Pathology, accepted the honor at the ceremony March 1 in San Francisco.

Other recipients of the award, which this year focused on biotechnology and the life sciences, were UCSF; venture capitalists Bill Bowes and Brook Byers, and Robert Klein, who led the effort to pass the ballot measure authorizing state funds for stem cell work and now serves as chair of the oversight committee of the state's stem cell institute.

"In honoring the scientists and leaders in California who have been pioneers in the still nascent field of stem cell research, the Commonwealth Club offered an important affirmation in support of this important area of investigation," noted Philip Pizzo, MD, dean of the School of Medicine, in his latest newsletter.

Weissman's work with stem cells also received some additional recognition on the Web site of the CBS program "60 Minutes." Correspondent Ed Bradley conducted an interview with Weissman earlier this year, and streaming video of their conversation was recently posted. To view it, please go to: http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2006/02/23/60minutes/main1341635.shtml.