NEWS RELEASES
04/21/06 News Release
MEDIA CONTACT: Amy Adams at (650) 723-3900
STEM CELL RULING OPENS DOOR TO STANFORD SCIENTISTS’ QUEST TO FIND NEW CURES
STANFORD, Calif. — Scientists at the Stanford University School of Medicine greeted today’s 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 resoundingly 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 in Hayward today ruled that the California Institute of Regenerative Medicine, which was established by Prop. 71 to allocate the funds, could begin raising and allocating research money.
“The judge has clearly found Proposition 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 of California 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 restrictions enacted by the Bush administration make it illegal to work with some stem cell lines in facilities funded through federal grants, making it necessary to build new space for the research.
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 had been planned when the institute was first established. On April 10, the CIRM was able to fund a first round of grants by selling bond anticipatory notes to six investors. Those grants will fund 169 stem cell research trainees for the next three years. Stanford University School of Medicine 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 Judge Sabraw’s decision goes unchallenged, the CIRM can now provide money to build new facilities and then begin funding researchers trying to find cures for diseases.
The ruling also comes after a number of media reports highlighting how the California stem cell effort had appeared to have stalled. With this ruling, Weissman said California 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.
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Stanford University Medical Center integrates research, medical education and patient care at its three institutions - Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford Hospital & Clinics and Lucile Packard Children's Hospital. For more information, please visit the Office of Communication & Public Affairs site at http://mednews.stanford.edu/.
