MEDIA ADVISORY PUBLIC SCIENTIFIC MEETING WILL EXAMINE THE CHALLENGE OF BRINGING BASIC RESEARCH TO THE CLINIC Stem Cell Agency Sponsors Second Meeting to Inform the Public and Board Members on the Strategic Plan

SAN FRANCISCO, CA – Tomorrow morning the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine (CIRM) will hold a scientific meeting for its governing board, the Independent Citizens’ Oversight Committee (ICOC), and members of the public at the Gladstone Institutes. The meeting will consist of presentations and open discussion that will focus on how basic science can be brought most effectively into clinical research, including the unique challenges posed by stem cell research.

WHO:

  • Stuart Orkin, M.D., Harvard Medical School
  • Joan Samuelson, J.D.; ICOC Patient Advocate; Vice Chair, Scientific and Medical Research Funding Working Group
  • Allen M. Spiegel, M.D., Albert Einstein College of Medicine
  • Jill Heemskerk, Ph.D., National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke
  • Stephen A. Sherwin, M.D., Cell Genesys, Inc.
  • Members of the public and the ICOC.

WHAT:       The second in a series of public meetings designed for the public and the ICOC to discuss specific topics that are critical to the strategic planning process for CIRM funding.

WHEN:      THURSDAY, JULY 13
                   10:00 AM – 4:00 PM (Estimated)

WHERE:   J. David Gladstone Institutes
                  Robert W. Mahley Auditorium
                  1650 Owens Street
                  San Francisco, CA 94158

WHY:       On April 24, 2006, the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine (CIRM) formally launched its scientific strategic planning process. The goal is to create a set of priorities and a working plan that will guide the scientific programs of CIRM over the coming years. The plan’s development will involve input from multiple stakeholders—including interviews and a series of public meetings.

The Strategic Planning Advisory Committee, composed of members of the ICOC, other leading scientists, patient advocates, and representatives from the private sector, will meet regularly throughout the six month planning process. The ICOC will devote part of their June and August meetings to discussion on the strategic plan, with a draft anticipated for the October ICOC meeting.

In addition, CIRM will host a series of scientific meetings for the ICOC and the public at which invited speakers will discuss scientific strategies and approaches to funding stem cell science and the development of related therapies that CIRM might consider. Finally, CIRM will conduct a public hearing entirely devoted to obtaining public input.

CIRM Contact: Nicole Pagano
  (415) 396-9100