Biotech goes to school

A bill passed by the California state legislature should make it easier for the California biotech industry to recruit technical staff from within the state. The bill, which still needs the governor's signature, requires the state education department to incorporate stem-cell and biotech curricula into the public schools, with help from industry and the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine (CIRM), the state's stem-cell agency. A state biotech trade association warned in a 2008 report of a scarcity of trained lab professionals. "The pipeline starts in high school, and having the curriculum at this level is really important," says CIRM spokesman Don Gibbons.