Conflicts at institute?
The California Institute for Regenerative Medicine, created by the passage of Proposition 71, and its newly appointed governing panel whose first meeting was held on December 17, have a tall order to fill. The 29-member Independent Citizens Oversight Committee chaired by Robert Klein, a real estate investment banking consultant, and by Edward Penhoet, cofounder and former chief executive officer of Chiron, as vice chairman, will decide how to distribute $3 billion for stem cell research, during the next decade. The panel, appointed by state officers and chancellors of five University of California campuses, consists of representatives from research institutes, universities, biotechnology companies and disease advocacy groups. Critics have been quick to note that the committee is anything but 'independent' because potentially all members stand to gain research funds for their institutions' pet projects and diseases. Although committee members are not allowed to vote on grants for their own institutions, the potential for back-scratching looms large. That's unlikely, says committee member John Reed, president and CEO of the Burnham Institute, arguing that grant proposals are most likely to be ranked by a subcommittee of non-Californian stem cell experts. And another subcommittee will tackle the ethical review of proposals. “Our charge will be setting up the mechanisms for making this happen,” says Reed. KP
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