California Institute for Regenerative Medicine

The California Institute for Regenerative Medicine (CIRM) was created by California's Proposition 71 (2004), which authorized it to issue $3 billion in grants, funded by bonds, over ten years for embryonic stem cell and other biomedical research. It is claimed to be the world's largest single backer of research in stem cells. However, the U.S. Federal government is the largest sponsor of grant money in the world, although the Dickey Amendment which was passed by Congress in 1995 and signed into law by Clinton (and later affirmed by Bush in 2001), restricts the application of federal money to stem cell research for particular uses. CIRM awarded its first grants to train 169 stem cell researchers in April 2006. It will fund its first research grants, totalling more than $100 million, in the first quarter of 2007.

Organization and leaders
The CIRM governing committee consists of representatives of groups and institutions who are likely to receive funding, including public universities, nonprofit research centers, private biotechnology companies, and disease-specific patient advocates. They were appointed (or, in the case of chair and vice-chair, nominated) by four elected officials and five UC Chancellors.

The chair of the committee is Robert Klein, a Palo Alto real estate developer who helped write and finance the initiative and is hopeful stem cells will provide a cure for his son, who has diabetes. He was previously the chair of the Yes on 71 campaign, a chief author of the initiative, and - at $3 million - its largest financial supporter. The campaign operated from the offices of the Klein Financial Corporation. After the vote, the Yes on 71 campaign changed into the California Research and Cures Coalition, a stem cell advocacy organization, with Klein initially at the helm.

The vice-chair of the governing committee is Edward Penhoet, a biotech businessman. He was a co-founder and president of Chiron, and recently he co-founded Renovis. He is on the boards of directors of Chiron, Renovis, Zymogenetics, and BayBio; and recently on those of Eyetech and the Biotechnology Industry Association. He is a Director at Alta Partners, a venture capital firm with a large biotechnology portfolio. Penhoet has also served on the UC Berkeley faculty and is currently President of the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation.

CIRM was initially supported by the staff of the California Research and Cures Coalition from the offices of the Klein Financial Corporation. Early in 2005, Zach W. Hall, Ph.D., was named President and Chief Scientific Officer, and he began recruiting permanent staff for the Institute. (Under Proposition 71, CIRM's staff is capped at 50 full-time employees. It had 23 as of January 2007.) In May 2005 CIRM's board approved the Mission Bay neighborhood of San Francisco for its permanent headquarters.

New President
On September 14, 2007, renowned Australian scientist Alan Trounsoun was appointed president of California's stem cell agency. Dr. George Daley, Harvard University researcher and president of the International Society for Stem Cell Research stated: "His own scientific work is going to take a secondary role." Trounson has launched eight biotechnology corporations, including Singapore-based Embryonic Stem Cell International.

Prop 71 history

 * For more information on Prop 71, see California Proposition 71 (2004)

The campaign spent over $30 million and received contributions from figures such as Bill Gates, venture capitalist John Doerr (an early backer of Internet search engine Google), and eBay founder Pierre Omidyar, as well as actors Michael J. Fox and Christopher Reeve. Its largest source of funding was from venture capitalists. It was also backed by California governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, a Republican.

Opposition to the initiative came from a diverse range of groups, including both those who oppose abortion rights and those who support them. The former are generally opposed to all embryonic stem cell research, while the latter emphasized potential conflicts of interest, alleged lack of transparency and accountability, and alleged inadequate safeguards to protect the health of egg providers and research subjects.

Implementation
Following the passage of the proposition, Robert Klein, one of the Founders, said "there is no doubt in my mind that the mission Californians accepted today is a critical first step in changing the face of human suffering forever." That first step was delayed by litigation filed by various organizations, challenging the constitutionality of Proposition 71. The litigation is expected to conclude sometime in 2007. In the meantime, CIRM has funded its grants and operations with loans -- $150 million from the California General Fund, authorized by Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, and $45 million from private philanthropists. On July 21, 2006, Schwarzenegger authorized $150 million in loans to the Institute in an attempt to jump start the process of funding research.