2009 Annual Report: Outreach and Policy

Individual wells of a high-throughput assay plate

Sanford-Burnham
Medical Research Institute

 

 

Stem Cell Awareness Day 2009

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News at CIRM:

Outreach and Policy

In 2009 CIRM reached out to California and the world through town hall talks, Stem Cell Awareness Day, an improved web site, state legislation to mandate stem cell education and work at the national level to ensure a supportive regulatory environment.

Calling California
In 2009 the people of California had several opportunities to learn about the work of CIRM and the state of stem cell science. In the spring, CIRM-funded scientists spoke at three town forums—in San Francisco, Los Angeles and San Diego. Each featured an overview of the field. Scientists also gave talks on the basic questions in stem cell biology and on a therapy that is nearing the clinic.

Altogether, the town hall forums brought about 600 people up to speed on stem cell science in California.

While the town hall sessions reached out to adults, Stem Cell Awareness Day, held Sept. 23, engaged the next generation. Nearly 5,000 high school students saw presentations in biology class or in schoolwide assemblies held by CIRM scientists.

The day also included a poetry contest, won by high school student Jonathan Lee of the Drew School in San Francisco (short form) and Jessica Grubaugh of Purdue University (long form). (See Poetry Contest Winners below.)

In recognition of the promise of stem cell research, the governors of California, New York and Wisconsin all proclaimed Stem Cell Awareness Days in their state, as did mayors of six California cities. (Read the proclamations.)

Worldwide, Stem Cell Awareness Day events included the launching of the Stem Cell Charter in Canada and a symposium
at Monash University in Victoria, Australia.

Engaging the Nation

Working with CIRM grantees who are developing new embryonic stem cell lines, CIRM is ensuring that our grantees’ lines make it into the national registry and are permitted in federally funded research.

CIRM’s reach goes well beyond stem cell science in California. Advancing the entire field means working at the national level to ensure that California scientists work in a regulatory environment that encourages stem cell research.

CIRM is working with the Food and Drug Administration to streamline the process of getting new stem cell therapies through the FDA and into the clinic. By bringing our grantees and the
FDA into conversation now, those scientists will have a better idea of what they will need to present the FDA in order to be allowed to test prospective therapies in patients.

CIRM also had an influential role in responding to an initial draft of the new NIH guidelines for funding embryonic stem cell research. Working with CIRM grantees who are developing new embryonic stem cell lines, CIRM is ensuring that our grantees’ lines make it into the national registry and are permitted in federally funded research.

Going Global Online
You don’t have to be in California to learn about CIRM-funded research. People from around the world have read about stem cell research and browsed through our funded grants on our newly updated web page. With about 350 unique visitors per day, the site provides background information on the science, features about new developments and a comprehensive list of CIRM funding, in addition to materials from Governing Board meetings and funding opportunities.

CIRM offers several ways for people to stay up to speed on our work. Videos on Youtube (www.youtube.com/cirmtv) explain advances in the field; images on our Flickr photo stream (www.flickr.com/photos/cirm) show the beauty of stem cell science; our blog (CIRMResearch.blogspot.com) provides ongoing updates of scientific progress; and Facebook fans receive frequent updates about our activities.

Taken together, our web content, videos and blog updates have been viewed more than 240,000 times this year. Most of those visits came from people in the United States, but we’ve also reached people in Canada, the United Kingdom, Australia, India, Japan, Germany, China and Spain, among others.