January 2010 Digest
CIRM January Digest
The CIRM review panel that in April 2008 recommended providing over $270 million to construct 12 major stem cell research facilities in California met on January 15th to review the status of these projects and found that all were moving forward, with 11 having construction well underway.
An independent review of the impact of this investment for the state economy last year by The Analysis Group suggested that the projects would create 13,000 job years of employment and $100 million in tax revenue between 2008 and 2011.
News
A January peer-review report published in the American Journal of Public Health found that CIRM has been successful in carrying out its core mission of accelerating research, creating jobs and fostering economic growth in California.
A paper co-authored by CIRM governing board vice-chair Duane Roth proposes a new model for advancing therapeutic products to market. The paper cites CIRM as an innovator state-sponsored research.
New Features
This feature story describes how microRNAs, relative newcomers to biology, are revealing new insights into stem cell function and therapeutic strategies.
New Videos
Videos of "Autism, Toxicology, Environmental Health and Stem Cell Science", a seminar presented at CIRM in September, are now posted. The panel of speakers focused on how stem cell science could help assess the toxicity of man-made chemicals.