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Billions in Grants to be Released for Stem Cell Research

California taxpayers voted to spend three billion dollars on stem cell research in 2004. Today, the first grants have yet to be awarded. We’ll find out how this multi-billion dollar program is coming

Billions in Grants to be Released for Stem Cell Research

Tom Fudge : Two years ago, Californians decided to make a very big investment in stem cell research. They passed a three billion dollar bond. That’ll turn into six billion dollars once interested is added to it.

So what will be our return on that investment? Hopefully, the research will lead to treatments that will save lives. But will Californians be able to afford those treatments? Hopefully, the investment will create new health care-related industries in California. But will taxpayers own the rights to the cures and treatments that may come from this?

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Today, a committee of the California Stem Cell institute will meet in La Jolla to bite off a part of this discussion. The institute’s Intellectual Property Task Force will meet to consider the terms of research grants to for-profit companies.

Guests

  • Dr. John Reed , President and CEO of the Burnham Institute for Medical Research and member of the Intellectual Property Taskforce of the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine.
  • Dr. Zach Hall, president and Chief Scientific Officer for the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine. 
  • John Simpson , stem cell project director for the Foundation for Taxpayer and Consumer Rights.