Private groups fund stem cells

In an effort to work around lawsuits that are tying up $3
billion in state funding for stem cell research, six private
organizations have agreed to loan a California stem cell agency $14
million until the institute can receive state funding.

The California Institute for Regenerative Medicine was founded
in 2005 with the passage of Proposition 71, which provided $3
billion in funding for stem cell research at California research
institutions in the amount of $300 million a year.

But the money has been tied up by lawsuits led by the
People’s Advocate and National Tax Limitation Foundation and
the California Family Bioethics Council, which assert that the
institute is in violation of the state Constitution by using
taxpayer dollars without sufficient supervision.

Among the potential benefactors of Proposition 71 is
UCLA’s Institute for Stem Cell Biology and Medicine, which in
September was awarded the top training grant award.

And though no specific information is available yet, funding for
the California institution could mean funding for the UCLA
institute.

“It’s a great thing. It’s very hopeful,”
said Steve Peckman, associate director for administration planning
of the UCLA institute.

But at this point it is unclear how how much of the $14 million
in funding UCLA can expect to receive.

“(It) is rather early in the process to draw any
conclusions about where the money is going,” said UCLA
spokesman Phil Hampton.

The only information available is who is loaning the money and
how much they have agreed to give.

“The report is identifying the people who have agreed to
loan the funding, but it is unclear when or how the money will be
allocated,” Peckman said.

Research is underway at UCLA despite the lack of funding, but
without the money it is “clearly more difficult,” he
said.

Stem cell scientists at UCLA focus on cancer, AIDS, metabolic
disorders such as diabetes, and neurological disorders like
Parkinson’s disease, among others. The institute is also
engaged in collaborative projects with the UCLA Henry Samueli
School of Engineering and Applied Science.

The private organizations that agreed to loan the money include
the Beneficus Foundation, Blum Capital Partners LP, William K.
Bowes Foundation, The Broad Foundation, Jacobs Family Trust and The
Moores Foundation.

“California will be America’s leader in stem cell
research, which will not only benefit the tremendous need of people
suffering from debilitating diseases and conditions, but will also
help the California economy immeasurably,” philanthropist Eli
Broad, of The Broad Foundation, said in a statement.

With reports from The Associated Press.

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