MEDIA ADVISORY: STANDARDS WORKING GROUP TO CONSIDER GUIDELINES FOR STATE FUNDED STEM CELL RESEARCH IN CALIFORNIA

EMERYVILLE, CA— This Wednesday (7/6/05), the Scientific and Medical Accountability Standards Working Group (“Standards Working Group”), chaired by Sherry Lansing and Harriet Rabb, will meet for the first time in San Francisco.

WHO: Scientific and Medical Accountability Standards Working Group—five patient advocates of the Independent Citizens’ Oversight Committee (ICOC), nine scientists and clinicians nationally recognized in the field of stem cell research, four medical ethicists, and the chairperson of the ICOC

WHAT: The Standards Working Group will consider its charge and meeting procedures. The members will begin the public process of creating permanent standards for the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine (CIRM). The Guidelines for Embryonic Stem Cell Research, published by the National Academy of Sciences in April, were adopted by ICOC as interim standards for the CIRM on May 23rd. The regulatory recommendations of the Standards Working Group will be considered by the ICOC after undergoing a period of public comment, in compliance with the California Administrative Procedure Act. The regulations then will be reviewed by the Office of Administrative Law.

WHEN: WEDNESDAY, JULY 6/10:00 AM – 6:00 PM (Estimated)

WHERE: Grand Hyatt San Francisco Room: Plaza Ballroom East 345 Stockton Street San Francisco, CA 94108

WHY: The Standards Working Group makes recommendations to the 29-member ICOC that governs the Proposition 71-funded CIRM on scientific, medical and ethical standards pertaining to stem cell research. The Standards Working Group, appointed on May 6, 2005, makes recommendations to the ICOC on compliance of adopted standards, as well as on modifications to standards.