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Archive for the ‘Stem Cell Therapy’ Category

San Jose Newspaper Lauds CIRM Chairman Thomas

Sunday, February 17th, 2013

The California stem cell agency got some good
news this week. The San Jose Mercury News ran an editorial yesterday
that was headlined,

“State stem cell agency is
taking Institutes of Medicine advice”
The 306-word editorial said CIRM
Chairman Jonathan Thomas is a refreshing change from Robert Klein,
the first chairman of the $3 billion enterprise. The brief editorial
said Thomas recognizes that the eight-year-old agency "has to mature." It said Thomas was trying to improve transparency and accountability.
The last paragraph declared,
 “If the stem cell agency can establish a record
as a good steward of public dollars to finance brilliant
science, it can continue to play a useful role in
stimulating and guiding research to bring the potential
cures from stem cell research to fruition.”

Source:
http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/blogspot/uqpFc/~3/ZgT5-BiCODk/san-jose-newspaper-lauds-cirm-chairman.html

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No Improper Influence: CIRM Defends ‘No Actual Conflicts’ Claim

Sunday, February 17th, 2013

Earlier
this month the California Stem Cell Report  published an item that said:

“In
the wake of recent considerable criticism concerning conflicts of
interest at the $3 billion California stem cell agency, its leaders
have taken to saying 'no actual conflicts' have been found at the
agency.

“That
assertion is simply not true.”

We
asked the stem cell agency if it would like to respond and said that
its response would be carried verbatim. The agency's comments are below. Our
take on the response follows the CIRM comments, which were authored
by Kevin McCormack, the agency's senior director for public
communications and patient advocate outreach.

In
David Jensen’s recent blog about the stem cell agency he claims to
“debunk” claims that there have been no actual conflicts in
CIRM’s funding decisions saying “the agency has a long history of
problems involving conflicts of interest, 'actual' and otherwise.”
In fact, in the cases cited by Mr. Jensen, show 'otherwise' is the
appropriate word here because as we’ll show CIRM’s conflict
procedures worked and the funding decisions were not affected by any
improper influence.
Let’s
take it case by case, looking at each instance of a “conflict”
cited by Mr. Jensen.
John
Reed
In
2007, John Reed, a member of the stem cell agency’s Governing
Board, contacted staff in his capacity as the president of the
Burnham Institute after the Board approved a SEED grant award to a
Burnham investigator. Dr. Reed did not participate in the Board’s
decision to approve the award and played no role in that decision.
All he did was send a letter to CIRM staff after the Board meeting to
provide factual information in response to technical questions raised
by CIRM staff concerning the investigator’s eligibility for an
award. Those questions ultimately led staff to reject the grant.
Because the Board had already made the decision to award the grant,
it did not occur to Dr. Reed that the conflict rules would prevent
him from contacting staff to provide relevant information. And why
would it? The decision was made so there was nothing to influence.
After CIRM staff received Dr. Reed’s letter, they informed Dr. Reed
that he must refrain from participating in any way in CIRM's
consideration of the Burnham grant. In addition, CIRM staff did not
consider the letter in conducting their administrative review of the
Burnham grant and their determination that the investigator was not
eligible did not change. The FPPC determined that, although Dr.
Reed’s conduct raised ethical concerns, he had not violated
conflict of interest laws because he attempted to influence a
decision that had already been made. Furthermore, Dr. Reed’s
conduct did not affect a CIRM funding decision because the grant was
rejected by CIRM staff.
New
Faculty Awards
When
a candidate applies for a CIRM New Faculty Award it is standard
practice for them to include a letter of support from the institution
where they hope to be working. In December 2007, during a review of
applications for New Faculty Awards, CIRM staff discovered that ten
applications were accompanied by letters of institutional support
signed by members of the Board. This was due to a miscommunication by
staff, a poorly drafted memo to Board members leading them to think
it was OK to sign the letters of institutional support. The error was
discovered before the Board considered any of the applications. CIRM
staff determined that the letters could be perceived to create a
conflict of interest and so, to avoid even the appearance of a
conflict, CIRM staff disqualified the ten applications. As a result,
the applications were not presented to the Board for its
consideration, thereby avoiding any potential for a conflict of
interest in a funding decision.
John
Sladek
In
2011, while preparing the public summary for Basic Biology III
applications, CIRM staff discovered that Dr. John Sladek was one of
several co-authors on scientific publications with a researcher who
was listed as a consultant on a CIRM grant application. This is a
technical violation of the Grants Working Group (“GWG”) conflict
policy, which prohibits a member of the GWG from participating in the
review of an application if the member has co-authored papers with a
salaried investigator listed on a CIRM application within a three
year window. It should be noted, however, that Dr. Sladek’s
participation in the review of the application would not have
constituted a conflict of interest under state conflict of interest
laws because Dr. Sladek did not have a financial interest in the
application. In addition, the amount of funding involved –
approximately $3,000 of salary per year for three years, less than
one percent of the total award – was not material, and Dr. Sladek
did not stand to receive any financial benefit from the application.
Finally, Dr. Sladek’s participation in the review did not affect
the outcome because the application was not recommended, or approved,
for funding.
The
three instances cited by Mr. Jensen share two common features.
First, CIRM staff identified the potential for a conflict before any
funding decision was made. Second, CIRM’s funding decisions were
not affected by any improper influence.
Ted
Love
Mr.
Jensen also cites the service of Dr. Ted Love, a member of the Board
who volunteered his time to assist CIRM in offering his scientific
and medical expertise, as evidence of a conflict of interest.
Although Mr. Jensen insinuates that Dr. Love’s service constituted
a conflict of interest, he does not cite any facts, except Dr. Love’s
“deep connections to the biomedical industry.” But the fact that
Dr. Love has experience in the biotech industry does not constitute a
conflict of interest, and as a member of the Board and as a volunteer
to CIRM, Dr. Love abided by CIRM’s conflict of interest policies.
In
the past Mr. Jensen has criticized the stem cell agency for its lack
of connections and engagement with industry. In this case he
criticizes us precisely because of our connection and engagement with
someone who has industry experience.
Venture
Capital Firm
Mr.
Jensen also suggests that a conflict of interest arose from the fact
that “iPierian,Inc., whose major investors [a venture capital firm]
contributed nearly $6 million to the ballot measure that created the
stem cell agency, has received $7.1 million in awards from the
agency.” While it is true that Proposition 71 involved a
multi-million dollar campaign, the funding for the campaign came
primarily from individuals who had a family member who suffered from
a chronic disease or injury, including individuals associated with a
venture capital firm. The firm itself did not contribute to the
campaign, nor did the campaign accept contributions from
biotechnology or pharmaceutical companies. Furthermore, the venture
capital firm did not invest in a CIRM grantee; rather, it invested in
a different company which subsequently merged with yet another
company to form an entity that later applied for, and was awarded a
CIRM grant.
Stem
Cells, Inc.
Mr.
Jensen cites CIRM’s award to Stem Cells, Inc. as another source of
a conflict. In support of this claim, Mr. Jensen’s references Bob
Klein’s support of the award, as well as the fact that Irv
Weissman, PhD, appeared in an ad for Proposition 71 in 2004.
However, neither Mr. Klein’s support for the award nor Dr.
Weissman’s support for Proposition 71 constitutes a conflict of
interest. First, Mr. Klein, like any member of the public, has the
right to express his views to the Board. The state’s revolving
door laws do not apply to a former member of the Board who, like Mr.
Klein, is not compensated for making an appearance. As for Dr.
Weissman’s support for Proposition 71, nothing in state law
prohibits a member of the public from seeking CIRM funding even
though he supported the measure during the campaign. In fact, it
would be reasonable to expect that most stem cell scientists in
California (and elsewhere) supported Proposition 71. Disqualifying
individuals from receiving funding because they supported the law
would leave few, if any, eligible applicants.
Allegation
of Conflict at Board Meeting
As
further evidence of an “actual conflict”, Mr. Jensen cites
another instance in 2008 in which a representative of a for-profit
applicant publicly complained at a Board meeting that a member of the
GWG had a conflict of interest “from a business perspective.” As
provided for by CIRM’s regulations, the applicant had filed an
appeal, claiming that the reviewer had a conflict of interest because
he had a financial relationship with another company that was not an
applicant for CIRM funding. CIRM’s legal counsel reviewed the
appeal and determined that there was no conflict of interest under
CIRM’s policy.
Saira
Ramasastry and Laurence Elias
Mr.
Jensen cites two instances in which CIRM’s hired consultants in
support of his claim that CIRM has “actual conflicts of interest.”
In 2010, CIRM retained a partner at Life Sciences Advisory, LLC,
Saira Ramasastry, to assist CIRM’s External Advisory Panel, which
completed its work in December 2010. In 2012, Sangamo BioSciences,
Inc., nominated Ms. Ramasastry to serve on its Board of Directors.
Although Ms. Ramasastry continued to provide some consulting services
to CIRM through fiscal year 2011-12, none of her work for CIRM
involved Sangamo or any CIRM program in which it was involved. Ms.
Ramasastry’s services on behalf of CIRM did not create any conflict
of interest. The same is true of the second instance cited by Mr.
Jensen. In 2010, CIRM hired Dr. Laurence Elias, a former Geron
employee and an accomplished clinical development professional, to
provide CIRM with technical and regulatory input to ensure that the
clinical elements of an RFA were technically complete and accurate.
The concept for RFA had already been approved and as such Dr. Elias
was not in any position to influence the overall scope or structure,
nor did he have any role in evaluating applications. CIRM staff and
Dr. Elias complied with all conflict of interest requirements.
Neither contract led to an “actual conflict of interest”.
Diane
Winokur
Mr.
Jensen’s laundry list of “conflicts” also includes a reference
to the recent appointment of Diane Winokur to serve on CIRM’s
Board. Mr. Jensen quotes a representative of the ALS Association who
said that Ms. Winokur will be “a tremendous asset in moving the ALS
research field forward through CIRM funding." Of all the
insinuations made in his blog this is perhaps the cheapest shot,
taking aim at a woman who has dedicated her life to fighting a deadly
disease, one that claimed the lives of her two sons. Mr. Jensen knows
very well that the ALS Association does not speak for Ms. Winokur or
CIRM and while we expect that Ms. Winokur will bring her expertise as
an advocate for people suffering from ALS to the Board, she, like all
members of CIRM’s Board, represents all Californians, not just
those suffering from a particular disease. Ms. Winokur’s
appointment does not create a conflict of interest.
Press
Releases
Finally,
Mr. Jensen cites a Board debate from 2006 involving a requirement in
CIRM’s intellectual property regulations regarding press releases.
Under Health and Safety Code section 125290.30(g)(1)(C), the
discussion of standards does not create a conflict of interest, and
the Board’s debate was enriched by the participation of members who
brought their expertise and experience to bear.
Mr.
Jensen says that one of the reasons why the IOM did not report any
instances of conflict of interest in its report is that it did not
look for any conflicts of “inappropriate behavior,” But Mr.
Jensen was present in the public hearing at UC Irvine in April of
2012 when the IOM panel asked Stuart Drown, Executive Director of the
Little Hoover Commission that also looked into allegations of
conflict of interest at CIRM, if he could cite any actual instances.
Mr. Drown said he could not. Nor did Mr. Jensen offer any when it was
his turn to talk.



The view from the California Stem Cell Report:
Generally
speaking, CIRM's response about “actual” conflicts of interests
is a reiteration of what the California Stem Cell Report carried at
the time of each incident and does not add much new to the discussion
of the issues. All of the agency's earlier responses could be found in
the links in the “debunking” piece. Additionally the agency
confuses what are clearly actual conflicts with other instances that
could involve either actual or perceived conflicts, which the IOM
noted can be as deadly as the real thing. However,
in the most egregious cases involving Reed and later the five medical
school deans, the agency would like the public to believe that these
were not serious matters because the staff detected and caught the
conflicts before the grants were made.
That
is like saying a burglar who was caught in the act before he escaped
with his booty committed no offense.
The
acts were committed by members of the CIRM board, and they were
violations of conflict of interest standards. In the case of
the five deans, that is why the agency voided 10 applications
totaling $31 million from their five institutions. If there had been
no actual conflict of interest, that would not have been necessary.
As
for blaming the staff for “miscommunications,” the applications
that the five deans signed were quite clear and offered them the
option of having another person at their institution sign the grant
proposal. Other deans on the board did not sign applications in the
same round. Those applications were then handled in the normal
fashion. One might ask how in the world could the head of a medical
school who was also serving on the CIRM board NOT recognize a
conflict of interest when asked to sign a request for cash from the
board on which he served?
Regarding
John Reed and his conflict of interest violation, both he and then
CIRM Chairman Robert Klein have acknowledged Reed's actions
were wrong. Klein, an attorney who directed the writing of the
10,000-word measure that created CIRM, advised Reed to contact CIRM
staff to lobby on behalf of a grant that was approved by the board
but was about to be denied by staff.(See here, here and here.)
CIRM's
response contends that Reed's 6 ½ page letter was nothing more than
“factual” information dealing with technical matters. That is
hardly the case. In fact, Reed explicitly “emphasized” (Reed's word) that failing to comply with his letter would damage the future
of the stem cell agency. Denial of the grant, he said, “will surely
discourage clinical researchers from participating in the CIRM
mission to advance stem cell therapies.”   
Reed's
action was inappropriate, and the California Fair Political
Practices Commission warned Reed about his actions. The journal Nature reported,

“California’s
Fair Political Practices Commission (FPCC) decided that Burnham
Institute
President violated conflict-of-interest rules by writing a
letter to the California Institute of Regenerative Medicine appealing
a decision that an affiliate of his institute was ineligible for
funding.”

The
California Stem Cell Report's “debunking” piece went beyond "actual" conflicts to describe other instances where conflicts emerged.
Readers can go back to the original links for all the details, but
the cases of StemCells, Inc., and iPierian, Inc., are worth reviewing
again. Both cases involve fund-raising efforts that ran into
millions of dollars for the ballot measure campaign that created
CIRM. The campaign was run by Bob Klein who later became the agency's
first chairman, serving for six years and becoming something of a
hallowed figure in stem cell circles. One of the principal jobs of a
campaign manager is to raise the millions needed to run a successful
statewide election campaign in California. It is common for members
of the public to believe that major campaign contributors are
rewarded later for their contributions. Whether that was the case in
these instances, the reader must decide for himself or herself. But
the appearance is less than salubrious for an agency that claims to
have never seen an actual conflict of interest as it has handed out
$32,000 an hour, 24 hours a day, seven days a week during the last six
years.
The
facts are that about 90 percent of the $1.7 billion awarded by the
CIRM board has gone to institutions tied to present and past members
of its governing board. The agency, however, does work hard to be
sure legal conflicts do not arise during board action on grant
applications, using a voting procedure that is so convoluted that the
actual vote on nearly all applications is not even announced at board
meetings. Sometimes the procedure means that only a handful of
governing board members can participate in debate or vote. In the
case of the five medical school deans, as the board struggled to deal
with the fallout in 2007, only eight of the 29 members of the board could participate in the discussion because the rest had conflicts.
As
for CIRM's comments about “insinuations” and “cheap shots” by
the California Stem Cell Report, we naturally differ with that
characterization. The case in point involved what the chief scientist
for a patient advocate group said she expected as the result of a
recent appointment to the board. The scientist's remarks were offered
as example of the type of expectation and entitlement that can arise when governing
board members must be picked from specific constituencies, as is the
case with all 29 CIRM board members.



And as for my testimony at the IOM hearing last April, here is a link to my statement, which includes a discussion of conflicts of interest.  

Source:
http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/blogspot/uqpFc/~3/zwk3dz23Ewc/no-improper-influence-cirm-defends-no.html

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CIRM Board Member Prieto Critiques the IOM Stem Cell Report

Sunday, February 17th, 2013

Francisco Prieto, a member of the
governing board of the $3 billion California stem cell agency, is
expressing some additional dissatisfaction with the blue-ribbon
Institute of Medicine (IOM) report for which the agency paid $700,000.

The report recommended sweeping changes
at the agency, including creation of a new majority of independent
members on the board. The IOM cited problems arising from the
built-in conflicts of interest on the board that were created by
Proposition 71, which created in the agency in 2004. Prieto's email refers to Bob Klein, who is a real estate investor and attorney. Klein
oversaw the drafting of the 10,000-word ballot measure(writing much
of it himself), ran its $35 million ballot campaign and became the
first chairman of the agency. The qualifications for chairman were written into the proposition and seemed to uniquely apply to Klein.  Prieto is a Sacramento physician who
was appointed to the board as patient advocate.
.Here is the text of Prieto's comments.
His earlier comments can be found here.

“A few more words on independence,
and the IOM.  I think Bob Klein drafted the proposition (and
remember, all of this was spelled out there – readily available to
the voters and whatever news sources they were depending on for
information) deliberately to engage patient advocates. I think  he
knew that those of us who have been active in disease advocacy have a
passion around the issue of advancing research that someone without
that background would be unlikely to have. I’m not sure exactly
what the IOM had in mind when they called for more 'independent'
members of the board, since they very unfortunately did not bother to
interview the patient advocates on the ICOC(the governing board). I
don’t know what their reason for this was, if there was one, but
they only circulated a (in my view) frankly inadequate questionnaire,
and interviewed a small handful of people. I think this was a major
flaw in their process and gave them a very limited view of our role.
It is hard for me to imagine who they might have in mind, if not
people who had been involved with some existing advocacy
organization. I think there are very few if any patient advocates who
aren’t working with some group – the only ones I might imagine
would be some independently wealthy person able to start a foundation
or research institute on their own.  With all due respect to
Bill Gates and the great work his foundation is doing with malaria
and HIV, I have written before that I think it would be absolutely
wrong and anti-democratic to create any public board or commission
that only millionaires could sit on.”

An anonymous comment was also posted
concerning the IOM report and conflicts of interest. It dealt briefly
with the issue and difficulty of managing conflicts. The comment can be found at the end of this item.

Source:
http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/blogspot/uqpFc/~3/Y_gHaql_zgg/cirm-board-member-prieto-critiques-iom.html

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San Jose Newspaper Lauds CIRM Chairman Thomas

Sunday, February 17th, 2013

The California stem cell agency got some good
news this week. The San Jose Mercury News ran an editorial yesterday
that was headlined,

“State stem cell agency is
taking Institutes of Medicine advice”
The 306-word editorial said CIRM
Chairman Jonathan Thomas is a refreshing change from Robert Klein,
the first chairman of the $3 billion enterprise. The brief editorial
said Thomas recognizes that the eight-year-old agency "has to mature." It said Thomas was trying to improve transparency and accountability.
The last paragraph declared,
 “If the stem cell agency can establish a record
as a good steward of public dollars to finance brilliant
science, it can continue to play a useful role in
stimulating and guiding research to bring the potential
cures from stem cell research to fruition.”

Source:
http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/blogspot/uqpFc/~3/ZgT5-BiCODk/san-jose-newspaper-lauds-cirm-chairman.html

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No Improper Influence: CIRM Defends ‘No Actual Conflicts’ Claim

Sunday, February 17th, 2013

Earlier
this month the California Stem Cell Report  published an item that said:

“In
the wake of recent considerable criticism concerning conflicts of
interest at the $3 billion California stem cell agency, its leaders
have taken to saying 'no actual conflicts' have been found at the
agency.

“That
assertion is simply not true.”

We
asked the stem cell agency if it would like to respond and said that
its response would be carried verbatim. The agency's comments are below. Our
take on the response follows the CIRM comments, which were authored
by Kevin McCormack, the agency's senior director for public
communications and patient advocate outreach.

In
David Jensen’s recent blog about the stem cell agency he claims to
“debunk” claims that there have been no actual conflicts in
CIRM’s funding decisions saying “the agency has a long history of
problems involving conflicts of interest, 'actual' and otherwise.”
In fact, in the cases cited by Mr. Jensen, show 'otherwise' is the
appropriate word here because as we’ll show CIRM’s conflict
procedures worked and the funding decisions were not affected by any
improper influence.
Let’s
take it case by case, looking at each instance of a “conflict”
cited by Mr. Jensen.
John
Reed
In
2007, John Reed, a member of the stem cell agency’s Governing
Board, contacted staff in his capacity as the president of the
Burnham Institute after the Board approved a SEED grant award to a
Burnham investigator. Dr. Reed did not participate in the Board’s
decision to approve the award and played no role in that decision.
All he did was send a letter to CIRM staff after the Board meeting to
provide factual information in response to technical questions raised
by CIRM staff concerning the investigator’s eligibility for an
award. Those questions ultimately led staff to reject the grant.
Because the Board had already made the decision to award the grant,
it did not occur to Dr. Reed that the conflict rules would prevent
him from contacting staff to provide relevant information. And why
would it? The decision was made so there was nothing to influence.
After CIRM staff received Dr. Reed’s letter, they informed Dr. Reed
that he must refrain from participating in any way in CIRM's
consideration of the Burnham grant. In addition, CIRM staff did not
consider the letter in conducting their administrative review of the
Burnham grant and their determination that the investigator was not
eligible did not change. The FPPC determined that, although Dr.
Reed’s conduct raised ethical concerns, he had not violated
conflict of interest laws because he attempted to influence a
decision that had already been made. Furthermore, Dr. Reed’s
conduct did not affect a CIRM funding decision because the grant was
rejected by CIRM staff.
New
Faculty Awards
When
a candidate applies for a CIRM New Faculty Award it is standard
practice for them to include a letter of support from the institution
where they hope to be working. In December 2007, during a review of
applications for New Faculty Awards, CIRM staff discovered that ten
applications were accompanied by letters of institutional support
signed by members of the Board. This was due to a miscommunication by
staff, a poorly drafted memo to Board members leading them to think
it was OK to sign the letters of institutional support. The error was
discovered before the Board considered any of the applications. CIRM
staff determined that the letters could be perceived to create a
conflict of interest and so, to avoid even the appearance of a
conflict, CIRM staff disqualified the ten applications. As a result,
the applications were not presented to the Board for its
consideration, thereby avoiding any potential for a conflict of
interest in a funding decision.
John
Sladek
In
2011, while preparing the public summary for Basic Biology III
applications, CIRM staff discovered that Dr. John Sladek was one of
several co-authors on scientific publications with a researcher who
was listed as a consultant on a CIRM grant application. This is a
technical violation of the Grants Working Group (“GWG”) conflict
policy, which prohibits a member of the GWG from participating in the
review of an application if the member has co-authored papers with a
salaried investigator listed on a CIRM application within a three
year window. It should be noted, however, that Dr. Sladek’s
participation in the review of the application would not have
constituted a conflict of interest under state conflict of interest
laws because Dr. Sladek did not have a financial interest in the
application. In addition, the amount of funding involved –
approximately $3,000 of salary per year for three years, less than
one percent of the total award – was not material, and Dr. Sladek
did not stand to receive any financial benefit from the application.
Finally, Dr. Sladek’s participation in the review did not affect
the outcome because the application was not recommended, or approved,
for funding.
The
three instances cited by Mr. Jensen share two common features.
First, CIRM staff identified the potential for a conflict before any
funding decision was made. Second, CIRM’s funding decisions were
not affected by any improper influence.
Ted
Love
Mr.
Jensen also cites the service of Dr. Ted Love, a member of the Board
who volunteered his time to assist CIRM in offering his scientific
and medical expertise, as evidence of a conflict of interest.
Although Mr. Jensen insinuates that Dr. Love’s service constituted
a conflict of interest, he does not cite any facts, except Dr. Love’s
“deep connections to the biomedical industry.” But the fact that
Dr. Love has experience in the biotech industry does not constitute a
conflict of interest, and as a member of the Board and as a volunteer
to CIRM, Dr. Love abided by CIRM’s conflict of interest policies.
In
the past Mr. Jensen has criticized the stem cell agency for its lack
of connections and engagement with industry. In this case he
criticizes us precisely because of our connection and engagement with
someone who has industry experience.
Venture
Capital Firm
Mr.
Jensen also suggests that a conflict of interest arose from the fact
that “iPierian,Inc., whose major investors [a venture capital firm]
contributed nearly $6 million to the ballot measure that created the
stem cell agency, has received $7.1 million in awards from the
agency.” While it is true that Proposition 71 involved a
multi-million dollar campaign, the funding for the campaign came
primarily from individuals who had a family member who suffered from
a chronic disease or injury, including individuals associated with a
venture capital firm. The firm itself did not contribute to the
campaign, nor did the campaign accept contributions from
biotechnology or pharmaceutical companies. Furthermore, the venture
capital firm did not invest in a CIRM grantee; rather, it invested in
a different company which subsequently merged with yet another
company to form an entity that later applied for, and was awarded a
CIRM grant.
Stem
Cells, Inc.
Mr.
Jensen cites CIRM’s award to Stem Cells, Inc. as another source of
a conflict. In support of this claim, Mr. Jensen’s references Bob
Klein’s support of the award, as well as the fact that Irv
Weissman, PhD, appeared in an ad for Proposition 71 in 2004.
However, neither Mr. Klein’s support for the award nor Dr.
Weissman’s support for Proposition 71 constitutes a conflict of
interest. First, Mr. Klein, like any member of the public, has the
right to express his views to the Board. The state’s revolving
door laws do not apply to a former member of the Board who, like Mr.
Klein, is not compensated for making an appearance. As for Dr.
Weissman’s support for Proposition 71, nothing in state law
prohibits a member of the public from seeking CIRM funding even
though he supported the measure during the campaign. In fact, it
would be reasonable to expect that most stem cell scientists in
California (and elsewhere) supported Proposition 71. Disqualifying
individuals from receiving funding because they supported the law
would leave few, if any, eligible applicants.
Allegation
of Conflict at Board Meeting
As
further evidence of an “actual conflict”, Mr. Jensen cites
another instance in 2008 in which a representative of a for-profit
applicant publicly complained at a Board meeting that a member of the
GWG had a conflict of interest “from a business perspective.” As
provided for by CIRM’s regulations, the applicant had filed an
appeal, claiming that the reviewer had a conflict of interest because
he had a financial relationship with another company that was not an
applicant for CIRM funding. CIRM’s legal counsel reviewed the
appeal and determined that there was no conflict of interest under
CIRM’s policy.
Saira
Ramasastry and Laurence Elias
Mr.
Jensen cites two instances in which CIRM’s hired consultants in
support of his claim that CIRM has “actual conflicts of interest.”
In 2010, CIRM retained a partner at Life Sciences Advisory, LLC,
Saira Ramasastry, to assist CIRM’s External Advisory Panel, which
completed its work in December 2010. In 2012, Sangamo BioSciences,
Inc., nominated Ms. Ramasastry to serve on its Board of Directors.
Although Ms. Ramasastry continued to provide some consulting services
to CIRM through fiscal year 2011-12, none of her work for CIRM
involved Sangamo or any CIRM program in which it was involved. Ms.
Ramasastry’s services on behalf of CIRM did not create any conflict
of interest. The same is true of the second instance cited by Mr.
Jensen. In 2010, CIRM hired Dr. Laurence Elias, a former Geron
employee and an accomplished clinical development professional, to
provide CIRM with technical and regulatory input to ensure that the
clinical elements of an RFA were technically complete and accurate.
The concept for RFA had already been approved and as such Dr. Elias
was not in any position to influence the overall scope or structure,
nor did he have any role in evaluating applications. CIRM staff and
Dr. Elias complied with all conflict of interest requirements.
Neither contract led to an “actual conflict of interest”.
Diane
Winokur
Mr.
Jensen’s laundry list of “conflicts” also includes a reference
to the recent appointment of Diane Winokur to serve on CIRM’s
Board. Mr. Jensen quotes a representative of the ALS Association who
said that Ms. Winokur will be “a tremendous asset in moving the ALS
research field forward through CIRM funding." Of all the
insinuations made in his blog this is perhaps the cheapest shot,
taking aim at a woman who has dedicated her life to fighting a deadly
disease, one that claimed the lives of her two sons. Mr. Jensen knows
very well that the ALS Association does not speak for Ms. Winokur or
CIRM and while we expect that Ms. Winokur will bring her expertise as
an advocate for people suffering from ALS to the Board, she, like all
members of CIRM’s Board, represents all Californians, not just
those suffering from a particular disease. Ms. Winokur’s
appointment does not create a conflict of interest.
Press
Releases
Finally,
Mr. Jensen cites a Board debate from 2006 involving a requirement in
CIRM’s intellectual property regulations regarding press releases.
Under Health and Safety Code section 125290.30(g)(1)(C), the
discussion of standards does not create a conflict of interest, and
the Board’s debate was enriched by the participation of members who
brought their expertise and experience to bear.
Mr.
Jensen says that one of the reasons why the IOM did not report any
instances of conflict of interest in its report is that it did not
look for any conflicts of “inappropriate behavior,” But Mr.
Jensen was present in the public hearing at UC Irvine in April of
2012 when the IOM panel asked Stuart Drown, Executive Director of the
Little Hoover Commission that also looked into allegations of
conflict of interest at CIRM, if he could cite any actual instances.
Mr. Drown said he could not. Nor did Mr. Jensen offer any when it was
his turn to talk.



The view from the California Stem Cell Report:
Generally
speaking, CIRM's response about “actual” conflicts of interests
is a reiteration of what the California Stem Cell Report carried at
the time of each incident and does not add much new to the discussion
of the issues. All of the agency's earlier responses could be found in
the links in the “debunking” piece. Additionally the agency
confuses what are clearly actual conflicts with other instances that
could involve either actual or perceived conflicts, which the IOM
noted can be as deadly as the real thing. However,
in the most egregious cases involving Reed and later the five medical
school deans, the agency would like the public to believe that these
were not serious matters because the staff detected and caught the
conflicts before the grants were made.
That
is like saying a burglar who was caught in the act before he escaped
with his booty committed no offense.
The
acts were committed by members of the CIRM board, and they were
violations of conflict of interest standards. In the case of
the five deans, that is why the agency voided 10 applications
totaling $31 million from their five institutions. If there had been
no actual conflict of interest, that would not have been necessary.
As
for blaming the staff for “miscommunications,” the applications
that the five deans signed were quite clear and offered them the
option of having another person at their institution sign the grant
proposal. Other deans on the board did not sign applications in the
same round. Those applications were then handled in the normal
fashion. One might ask how in the world could the head of a medical
school who was also serving on the CIRM board NOT recognize a
conflict of interest when asked to sign a request for cash from the
board on which he served?
Regarding
John Reed and his conflict of interest violation, both he and then
CIRM Chairman Robert Klein have acknowledged Reed's actions
were wrong. Klein, an attorney who directed the writing of the
10,000-word measure that created CIRM, advised Reed to contact CIRM
staff to lobby on behalf of a grant that was approved by the board
but was about to be denied by staff.(See here, here and here.)
CIRM's
response contends that Reed's 6 ½ page letter was nothing more than
“factual” information dealing with technical matters. That is
hardly the case. In fact, Reed explicitly “emphasized” (Reed's word) that failing to comply with his letter would damage the future
of the stem cell agency. Denial of the grant, he said, “will surely
discourage clinical researchers from participating in the CIRM
mission to advance stem cell therapies.”   
Reed's
action was inappropriate, and the California Fair Political
Practices Commission warned Reed about his actions. The journal Nature reported,

“California’s
Fair Political Practices Commission (FPCC) decided that Burnham
Institute
President violated conflict-of-interest rules by writing a
letter to the California Institute of Regenerative Medicine appealing
a decision that an affiliate of his institute was ineligible for
funding.”

The
California Stem Cell Report's “debunking” piece went beyond "actual" conflicts to describe other instances where conflicts emerged.
Readers can go back to the original links for all the details, but
the cases of StemCells, Inc., and iPierian, Inc., are worth reviewing
again. Both cases involve fund-raising efforts that ran into
millions of dollars for the ballot measure campaign that created
CIRM. The campaign was run by Bob Klein who later became the agency's
first chairman, serving for six years and becoming something of a
hallowed figure in stem cell circles. One of the principal jobs of a
campaign manager is to raise the millions needed to run a successful
statewide election campaign in California. It is common for members
of the public to believe that major campaign contributors are
rewarded later for their contributions. Whether that was the case in
these instances, the reader must decide for himself or herself. But
the appearance is less than salubrious for an agency that claims to
have never seen an actual conflict of interest as it has handed out
$32,000 an hour, 24 hours a day, seven days a week during the last six
years.
The
facts are that about 90 percent of the $1.7 billion awarded by the
CIRM board has gone to institutions tied to present and past members
of its governing board. The agency, however, does work hard to be
sure legal conflicts do not arise during board action on grant
applications, using a voting procedure that is so convoluted that the
actual vote on nearly all applications is not even announced at board
meetings. Sometimes the procedure means that only a handful of
governing board members can participate in debate or vote. In the
case of the five medical school deans, as the board struggled to deal
with the fallout in 2007, only eight of the 29 members of the board could participate in the discussion because the rest had conflicts.
As
for CIRM's comments about “insinuations” and “cheap shots” by
the California Stem Cell Report, we naturally differ with that
characterization. The case in point involved what the chief scientist
for a patient advocate group said she expected as the result of a
recent appointment to the board. The scientist's remarks were offered
as example of the type of expectation and entitlement that can arise when governing
board members must be picked from specific constituencies, as is the
case with all 29 CIRM board members.



And as for my testimony at the IOM hearing last April, here is a link to my statement, which includes a discussion of conflicts of interest.  

Source:
http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/blogspot/uqpFc/~3/zwk3dz23Ewc/no-improper-influence-cirm-defends-no.html

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CIRM Board Member Prieto Critiques the IOM Stem Cell Report

Sunday, February 17th, 2013

Francisco Prieto, a member of the
governing board of the $3 billion California stem cell agency, is
expressing some additional dissatisfaction with the blue-ribbon
Institute of Medicine (IOM) report for which the agency paid $700,000.

The report recommended sweeping changes
at the agency, including creation of a new majority of independent
members on the board. The IOM cited problems arising from the
built-in conflicts of interest on the board that were created by
Proposition 71, which created in the agency in 2004. Prieto's email refers to Bob Klein, who is a real estate investor and attorney. Klein
oversaw the drafting of the 10,000-word ballot measure(writing much
of it himself), ran its $35 million ballot campaign and became the
first chairman of the agency. The qualifications for chairman were written into the proposition and seemed to uniquely apply to Klein.  Prieto is a Sacramento physician who
was appointed to the board as patient advocate.
.Here is the text of Prieto's comments.
His earlier comments can be found here.

“A few more words on independence,
and the IOM.  I think Bob Klein drafted the proposition (and
remember, all of this was spelled out there – readily available to
the voters and whatever news sources they were depending on for
information) deliberately to engage patient advocates. I think  he
knew that those of us who have been active in disease advocacy have a
passion around the issue of advancing research that someone without
that background would be unlikely to have. I’m not sure exactly
what the IOM had in mind when they called for more 'independent'
members of the board, since they very unfortunately did not bother to
interview the patient advocates on the ICOC(the governing board). I
don’t know what their reason for this was, if there was one, but
they only circulated a (in my view) frankly inadequate questionnaire,
and interviewed a small handful of people. I think this was a major
flaw in their process and gave them a very limited view of our role.
It is hard for me to imagine who they might have in mind, if not
people who had been involved with some existing advocacy
organization. I think there are very few if any patient advocates who
aren’t working with some group – the only ones I might imagine
would be some independently wealthy person able to start a foundation
or research institute on their own.  With all due respect to
Bill Gates and the great work his foundation is doing with malaria
and HIV, I have written before that I think it would be absolutely
wrong and anti-democratic to create any public board or commission
that only millionaires could sit on.”

An anonymous comment was also posted
concerning the IOM report and conflicts of interest. It dealt briefly
with the issue and difficulty of managing conflicts. The comment can be found at the end of this item.

Source:
http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/blogspot/uqpFc/~3/Y_gHaql_zgg/cirm-board-member-prieto-critiques-iom.html

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Muscular Dystrophy Improvement After Stem Cell Therapy in Mumbai India – Video

Saturday, February 16th, 2013


Muscular Dystrophy Improvement After Stem Cell Therapy in Mumbai India
He is a known case of MD with history of gradual onset of lower extremities muscle weakness noticed since age of 12 years with complaints of footwear slipping, frequent falling, difficulty in stairs climbing and getting up from floor. Gradually weakness progressed to upper extremities with difficulty in overhead activities. He even reports difficulty in pronunciation of "Ra", "La". He has no family history of MD. Functionally, he is modified independent in all ADL and mobility. On FIM he scores 79. After Stem Cell Treatment 1. Feels more energetic. Stamina has improved. 2. Sitting posture has improved. 3. Walking and standing posture is more erect. 4. Balance while walking has improved. 5. He can maintain kneeling position. 6. Bending and rotation from trunk is easier because of increase in back extensor strength. 7. Slow rate of speech achieved. 8. Lisping reduced. 9. Correct articulation for fricatives /s/, /sh/ and velar /ksha/ achieved in isolation. Stem Cell Therapy done at Dr Alok Shrama NeuroGen Brain and Spine Institute Surana Sethia Hospital Sion-Trombay Rd, Suman Ngr Opp Corporate Park, Chembur, Mumbai -- 71. Tel : 022 - 25283706, 022 - 25281610, Mob : +91 9920 200 400 http://www.neurogen.in http://www.stemcellsmumbai.com

By: neurogenbsi

The rest is here:
Muscular Dystrophy Improvement After Stem Cell Therapy in Mumbai India - Video

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Beckers Muscular Dystrophy Improvement After Stem Cell Therapy in Mumbai India – Video

Saturday, February 16th, 2013


Beckers Muscular Dystrophy Improvement After Stem Cell Therapy in Mumbai India
He is a known case of BMD since 10 years (2003). The difficulty initially started as difficulty in walking and stair climbing. Slowly weakness progressed and he could not get up from the floor. He went to the local doctor, who advised him to get investigations done. Investigations in 2005 showed Becker #39;s specific gene deletion, however diagnosis was confirmed as BMD based on clinical symptoms, increased CPK values and EMG changes that were consistent with BMD. On examination, he is hypotonic and hyporeflexic. There is hypertrophy of calf muscles and wasting of quadriceps and trunk muscles. There is slight tongue hypertrophy and slight difficulty in speech. He has complete passive range of motion. His upper extremities strength is above functional grade and he does the overhead activities. Out of all the antigravity muscles of lower limbs only plantar flexors are above functional level. Hip flexors are functional level and all the other lower extremities muscles are below functional level. Abdominals have functional level strength. Bilateral extremities are profoundly weak. Functionally he is independent in all ADL, however has great difficulty in getting up from lower surfaces. He needs support to climb staircase. On FIM he scores 104. After Stem Cell Treatment 1. Bilateral calf firmness has become softer than before. 2. He can now do supine to sit independently with ease, earlier he used to take strain and get up. 3. He can do sit to supine with ease than before. 4 ...

By: neurogenbsi

See more here:
Beckers Muscular Dystrophy Improvement After Stem Cell Therapy in Mumbai India - Video

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Stemlogix Stem Cell therapy at Central Animal Hospital St Petersburg Florida – Video

Thursday, February 14th, 2013


Stemlogix Stem Cell therapy at Central Animal Hospital St Petersburg Florida
Central Animal Hospital of St Petersburg, FL now offers in house Stemlogix Stem Cell Therapy for osteoarthritis for dogs! More info: http://www.centralanimal.net or http://www.tbk9rehab.com

By: StemLogixLLC

See original here:
Stemlogix Stem Cell therapy at Central Animal Hospital St Petersburg Florida - Video

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Stem Cell Agency Board Member Defends Independence of Many on Board

Sunday, February 10th, 2013

A member of the governing board of the
California stem cell agency is taking exception to a statement on the
California Stem Cell Report that no independent members sit on that
body.

Francisco Prieto, a Sacramento
physician and a patient advocate member of the board, referred to the
“ethical minefield” item Feb. 5, 2013. Here is the text of what
Prieto wrote,

“I have to object to this line: 'None
of the current members are independent. The ballot measure that
created the agency required board members to be appointed from
various constituencies.' 

“I think I am absolutely independent,
and I think the same applies at the very least to most if not all of
my fellow patient advocates, and probably to the biotech
representatives as well – remember that they all must come from
companies that are not involved in stem cell research.  Although
I supported the proposition, I was not involved directly in the
campaign in any way, and I did not meet Bob Klein (the first chairman of the stem cell board) or any of my fellow
board members until the day I was sworn in at our first meeting.

“The Prop. 71 language I believe
specifies that advocates must have a record of advocating for people
with the disease or diseases they represent, and not that they belong
to or work for any specific organization.  Checking my binder,
it refers to 'groups' but does not specify those – for example, it
refers to 'representative of a California regional, state or national
HIV/AIDS disease advocacy group.' I’m not sure how you would
define 'independent' but I certainly don’t think it means
'disinterested.'”

Our take: The Institute of Medicine(IOM) called for a new majority of what it described as independent
members, obviously not finding sufficient, if any, independent
members on the agency board. The IOM, the most prestigious organization of
its kind in the country, said changes were needed because of damaging
conflict of interest issues at the stem cell agency.
Prop. 71, which created the stem cell
agency in 2004, was carefully crafted to avoid the use of the word
“independent” when describing the necessary qualifications for a
board member.
 Instead the measure required that, in some cases, they
must come from very specific education institutions. (You can find the CIRM summary of all qualifications within this document.) In other cases, the speaker of the
state Assembly appoints “one representative of a California
regional, state, or national mental health disease advocacy group.”
The leader of the state Senate appoints “one representative of a
California regional, state, or national HIV/AIDS disease advocacy
group. “ Four other statewide elected officials appoint an
executive from a “California life science commercial entity.”
Prieto is correct when he says he
believes he is “absolutely independent.” But he fills a category
that represents a special constituency. What is missing from the
board is anyone who does not come from one special constituency or
another. The board was constructed in that manner to make sure it
would win the broadest measure of support from all the various major
constituencies by guaranteeing them a seat at the table where the
money is handed out.  Ironically, the full formal name of the CIRM governing board is the "Independent Citizens Oversight Committee," a piece of political legerdemain to mask the actual nature of who would sit on the board. 

Source:
http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/blogspot/uqpFc/~3/1YDDznoTw4E/stem-cell-agency-board-member-defends.html

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Riverside Newspaper: ‘Ethical Minefield’ Still Not Cleared at Stem Cell Agency

Sunday, February 10th, 2013

The California stem cell agency's
attempts to deal with the conflict of interest problems at the $3
billion research program amount to a minor fix that is not a “serious solution,” the Riverside Press-Enterprise editorialized yesterday.

The editorial came as the agency
launches a road trip campaign to convince newspaper editorial boards around
the state that the agency is worthy of continued financial support.
The agency will run out of money for new grants in less than four
years.
The Riverside editorial pointed to the blue-ribbon Institute of Medicine report in December that called for creation of a
new, independent majority on the 29-member board. None of the current
members are independent. The ballot measure that created the
agency required board members to be appointed from various
constituencies.
The newspaper said,

“That arrangement is hardly a model
of objective decision making. The agency so far has distributed about
$1.7 billion in grants, with about 90 percent of that money going to
institutions represented on the governing board. 

“Voluntary abstentions are not a
serious solution to that ethical minefield. Nor would that approach
eliminate potential conflicts, because the agency would still allow
the abstaining members to take part in the discussions and debate
about who should get the grants. 

“The Institute of Medicine instead
recommended remaking the board with truly independent members who
have no stake in grant awards. The stem-cell agency rejected that
step because it would require changing Prop. 71, either through a
super-majority in the Legislature or another ballot measure. That
excuse should be a vivid warning to Californians about the dangers of
passing complex, costly and inflexible initiatives. 

“Agencies handling billions of
taxpayers’ dollars should not avoid good government practice or
basic fiscal safeguards. The stem-cell institute offers minor fixes
when it needs substantial changes — and legislators should not
accept that cavalier approach.”

Source:
http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/blogspot/uqpFc/~3/VQ9QZ0E814c/riverside-newspaper-ethical-minefield.html

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Debunking California Stem Cell Agency Claims of ‘No Actual Conflicts’

Sunday, February 10th, 2013

In the wake of recent considerable
criticism concerning conflicts of interest at the $3 billion California stem
cell agency, its leaders have taken to saying “no actual conflicts”
have been found at the agency.

That assertion is simply not true.
Nonetheless, the statement has been
repeated in some news stories, published in at least one agency press
release and peddled by stem cell advocates and some members of the
governing board of the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine
(CIRM)
, as the agency is formally known.
The reason? Conflicts of interest were
cited prominently as a major problem at CIRM by the blue-ribbon
Institute of Medicine (IOM) report. In December, the IOM recommended that a new majority of independent members be created on the stem
cell agency's governing board. The existing stem cell board has
ignored that recommendation and wants to settle for something considerably less as it tries to find a way to build support for
continued financing of its efforts.
The facts are that the agency has a
long history of problems involving conflicts of interest, “actual”
and otherwise. Here is a rundown on what has been reported on the
California Stem Cell Report.
In 2009, board member John Reed, then
CEO of the Sanford-Burnham Institute, was warned by the state's Fair Political Practices Commission about his violation of conflict of interest rules. Reed's intervention on behalf of a grant was made at the suggestion of then CIRM Chairman Robert Klein, an attorney who
led the drafting of Proposition 71, the ballot initiative that created the stem cell
agency in 2004.
In 2007, other violations involving five board members resulted in voiding applications from 10
researchers seeking $31 million. And then the agency shamefully scapegoated employees for the problem.
In 2011, the chairman of the CIRM grant review group resigned from his position as the result of another
violation, which the agency felt necessary to report to the
California legislature.
In 2009, then board member Ted Love,
who has deep connections to the biomedical industry, served as the
agency's interim chief scientific officer and helped to develop the agency's first, signature $225 million disease team round while also
serving on the CIRM board. As chief scientific officer, Love
presumably would have had access to proprietary information and trade
secrets contained in grant applications. In 2009, in response to
questions from the California Stem Cell Report, the agency said that Love would only serve as a part-time adviser to the agency president, not as chief scientific officer. Nonetheless, in 2012, the board
passed a resolution with high praise for Love and his performance as the chief scientific officer.
Since 2010, a stem cell firm, iPierian,Inc., whose major investors contributed nearly $6 million to the ballot measure that created the stem cell agency, has received $7.1
million in awards from the agency. The contributions were 25 percent
of the total in the campaign, which was headed by Klein.
Another firm, StemCells, Inc., last
fall was awarded $40 million by the CIRM board despite having one of
its $20 million applications rejected twice by grant reviewers. The
action came after the board was vigorously lobbied by former Chairman
Klein. Researcher Irv Weissman of Stanford, who founded StemCells, Inc., and
is on its board, was featured in a TV campaign ad for Proposition 71 and helped to raise millions for the ballot campaign. 
In 2008, public complaints by one
applicant from industry about conflicts of interest on the part of a
reviewer were brushed off by Klein. He told the applicant the board needed to discuss naming CIRM-funded labs and then go to lunch. 
The agency has hired at least two
industry consultants in positions that raise conflict of interest
problems, in 2010 and again in 2012.
Sometimes groups expect to see
increased funding as the result of the appointment of sympathetic
individuals to the board. That occurred last fall when Diane Winokur
was appointed. The chief scientist for The ALS Association, said
Winokur will be “a tremendous asset in moving the ALS research field forward through CIRM funding."
The conflict issue even surfaces in picayune ways. In 2006, board members from various institutions spent
considerable time debating a minor requirement involving press
releases. They were concerned that the proposal would make their
institutions subordinate to the interests of CIRM. At the end of the
discussion, the institutional directors prevailed and kept their PR
departments from having to notify CIRM about press releases dealing
with the hundreds of millions of dollars in state grants that they
receive.
All this, and yet on Jan. 24, 2013,
CIRM Chairman Jonathan Thomas was quoted in a CIRM press release as
saying “no one has found any actual conflicts” at the
agency.
In the media, some of the recent news
stories have reported that the IOM did not find any “actual”
conflicts at the agency. The explanation for that is simple, but
mainly omitted from the articles. The IOM did not look for any
conflicts of “inappropriate behavior,” as its report clearly
states. The California Stem Cell Report last weekend asked the
chairman of the IOM panel, Harold Shapiro, why it did not look for
conflicts. He replied,

“Our committee was given a set of
defined tasks from the IOM(which was under a $700,000 contract with
CIRM), and we followed them."

Nonetheless, the IOM report said “far
too many” board members are linked to institutions that receive
funds from CIRM. A compilation by the California Stem Cell Report
shows that about 90 percent of the $1.7 billion that the board has
awarded has gone to institutions linked to past and present board
members.
The fundamental conflict problem with
the CIRM board is that nearly all the California institutions that stood to
benefit from the agency's largess were given seats at the table where the
money is handed out, under the terms of Proposition 71.
Conflict problems are not unique to
CIRM and government agencies. They are also a matter of concern at
nonprofit, grant-making foundations, which in some ways CIRM
resembles.
The Council on Foundations, a
national nonprofit association of more than 1,700 grant-making
organizations, takes pains on its web site to explain the
importance of managing and avoiding conflicts of interests. In its advice to its members, the group makes it clear that the issue goes
well beyond simple financial conflicts. It says,

“(Board) members must represent
unconflicted loyalty to the interest of the foundation. This
accountability supersedes any conflicting loyalty such as that to
advocacy or interest groups, business interests, personal interests or paid or volunteer service
to other organizations.”

In the case of the stem cell agency,
the “unconflicted loyalty” is to the people of California. Perhaps the California stem cell agency
can convince state leaders, both public and private, and its voters
that no conflicts exist at the state agency. But it is a big bet and
probably carries with it the entire future of what the board and many
believe is an exceedingly promising scientific effort.
Perhaps it would be wise for the board
to step back and say, “Yes, there are serious conflict problems at
CIRM. We recognize that and are working on additional measures to
create an independent board as recommended by the IOM.”

Source:
http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/blogspot/uqpFc/~3/lRsZniTbXbU/debunking-stem-cell-agency-claims-of-no.html

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Riverside Newspaper: ‘Ethical Minefield’ Still Not Cleared at Stem Cell Agency

Sunday, February 10th, 2013

The California stem cell agency's
attempts to deal with the conflict of interest problems at the $3
billion research program amount to a minor fix that is not a “serious solution,” the Riverside Press-Enterprise editorialized yesterday.

The editorial came as the agency
launches a road trip campaign to convince newspaper editorial boards around
the state that the agency is worthy of continued financial support.
The agency will run out of money for new grants in less than four
years.
The Riverside editorial pointed to the blue-ribbon Institute of Medicine report in December that called for creation of a
new, independent majority on the 29-member board. None of the current
members are independent. The ballot measure that created the
agency required board members to be appointed from various
constituencies.
The newspaper said,

“That arrangement is hardly a model
of objective decision making. The agency so far has distributed about
$1.7 billion in grants, with about 90 percent of that money going to
institutions represented on the governing board. 

“Voluntary abstentions are not a
serious solution to that ethical minefield. Nor would that approach
eliminate potential conflicts, because the agency would still allow
the abstaining members to take part in the discussions and debate
about who should get the grants. 

“The Institute of Medicine instead
recommended remaking the board with truly independent members who
have no stake in grant awards. The stem-cell agency rejected that
step because it would require changing Prop. 71, either through a
super-majority in the Legislature or another ballot measure. That
excuse should be a vivid warning to Californians about the dangers of
passing complex, costly and inflexible initiatives. 

“Agencies handling billions of
taxpayers’ dollars should not avoid good government practice or
basic fiscal safeguards. The stem-cell institute offers minor fixes
when it needs substantial changes — and legislators should not
accept that cavalier approach.”

Source:
http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/blogspot/uqpFc/~3/VQ9QZ0E814c/riverside-newspaper-ethical-minefield.html

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Stem Cell Agency Board Member Defends Independence of Many on Board

Sunday, February 10th, 2013

A member of the governing board of the
California stem cell agency is taking exception to a statement on the
California Stem Cell Report that no independent members sit on that
body.

Francisco Prieto, a Sacramento
physician and a patient advocate member of the board, referred to the
“ethical minefield” item Feb. 5, 2013. Here is the text of what
Prieto wrote,

“I have to object to this line: 'None
of the current members are independent. The ballot measure that
created the agency required board members to be appointed from
various constituencies.' 

“I think I am absolutely independent,
and I think the same applies at the very least to most if not all of
my fellow patient advocates, and probably to the biotech
representatives as well – remember that they all must come from
companies that are not involved in stem cell research.  Although
I supported the proposition, I was not involved directly in the
campaign in any way, and I did not meet Bob Klein (the first chairman of the stem cell board) or any of my fellow
board members until the day I was sworn in at our first meeting.

“The Prop. 71 language I believe
specifies that advocates must have a record of advocating for people
with the disease or diseases they represent, and not that they belong
to or work for any specific organization.  Checking my binder,
it refers to 'groups' but does not specify those – for example, it
refers to 'representative of a California regional, state or national
HIV/AIDS disease advocacy group.' I’m not sure how you would
define 'independent' but I certainly don’t think it means
'disinterested.'”

Our take: The Institute of Medicine(IOM) called for a new majority of what it described as independent
members, obviously not finding sufficient, if any, independent
members on the agency board. The IOM, the most prestigious organization of
its kind in the country, said changes were needed because of damaging
conflict of interest issues at the stem cell agency.
Prop. 71, which created the stem cell
agency in 2004, was carefully crafted to avoid the use of the word
“independent” when describing the necessary qualifications for a
board member.
 Instead the measure required that, in some cases, they
must come from very specific education institutions. (You can find the CIRM summary of all qualifications within this document.) In other cases, the speaker of the
state Assembly appoints “one representative of a California
regional, state, or national mental health disease advocacy group.”
The leader of the state Senate appoints “one representative of a
California regional, state, or national HIV/AIDS disease advocacy
group. “ Four other statewide elected officials appoint an
executive from a “California life science commercial entity.”
Prieto is correct when he says he
believes he is “absolutely independent.” But he fills a category
that represents a special constituency. What is missing from the
board is anyone who does not come from one special constituency or
another. The board was constructed in that manner to make sure it
would win the broadest measure of support from all the various major
constituencies by guaranteeing them a seat at the table where the
money is handed out.  Ironically, the full formal name of the CIRM governing board is the "Independent Citizens Oversight Committee," a piece of political legerdemain to mask the actual nature of who would sit on the board. 

Source:
http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/blogspot/uqpFc/~3/1YDDznoTw4E/stem-cell-agency-board-member-defends.html

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Debunking California Stem Cell Agency Claims of ‘No Actual Conflicts’

Sunday, February 10th, 2013

In the wake of recent considerable
criticism concerning conflicts of interest at the $3 billion California stem
cell agency, its leaders have taken to saying “no actual conflicts”
have been found at the agency.

That assertion is simply not true.
Nonetheless, the statement has been
repeated in some news stories, published in at least one agency press
release and peddled by stem cell advocates and some members of the
governing board of the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine
(CIRM)
, as the agency is formally known.
The reason? Conflicts of interest were
cited prominently as a major problem at CIRM by the blue-ribbon
Institute of Medicine (IOM) report. In December, the IOM recommended that a new majority of independent members be created on the stem
cell agency's governing board. The existing stem cell board has
ignored that recommendation and wants to settle for something considerably less as it tries to find a way to build support for
continued financing of its efforts.
The facts are that the agency has a
long history of problems involving conflicts of interest, “actual”
and otherwise. Here is a rundown on what has been reported on the
California Stem Cell Report.
In 2009, board member John Reed, then
CEO of the Sanford-Burnham Institute, was warned by the state's Fair Political Practices Commission about his violation of conflict of interest rules. Reed's intervention on behalf of a grant was made at the suggestion of then CIRM Chairman Robert Klein, an attorney who
led the drafting of Proposition 71, the ballot initiative that created the stem cell
agency in 2004.
In 2007, other violations involving five board members resulted in voiding applications from 10
researchers seeking $31 million. And then the agency shamefully scapegoated employees for the problem.
In 2011, the chairman of the CIRM grant review group resigned from his position as the result of another
violation, which the agency felt necessary to report to the
California legislature.
In 2009, then board member Ted Love,
who has deep connections to the biomedical industry, served as the
agency's interim chief scientific officer and helped to develop the agency's first, signature $225 million disease team round while also
serving on the CIRM board. As chief scientific officer, Love
presumably would have had access to proprietary information and trade
secrets contained in grant applications. In 2009, in response to
questions from the California Stem Cell Report, the agency said that Love would only serve as a part-time adviser to the agency president, not as chief scientific officer. Nonetheless, in 2012, the board
passed a resolution with high praise for Love and his performance as the chief scientific officer.
Since 2010, a stem cell firm, iPierian,Inc., whose major investors contributed nearly $6 million to the ballot measure that created the stem cell agency, has received $7.1
million in awards from the agency. The contributions were 25 percent
of the total in the campaign, which was headed by Klein.
Another firm, StemCells, Inc., last
fall was awarded $40 million by the CIRM board despite having one of
its $20 million applications rejected twice by grant reviewers. The
action came after the board was vigorously lobbied by former Chairman
Klein. Researcher Irv Weissman of Stanford, who founded StemCells, Inc., and
is on its board, was featured in a TV campaign ad for Proposition 71 and helped to raise millions for the ballot campaign. 
In 2008, public complaints by one
applicant from industry about conflicts of interest on the part of a
reviewer were brushed off by Klein. He told the applicant the board needed to discuss naming CIRM-funded labs and then go to lunch. 
The agency has hired at least two
industry consultants in positions that raise conflict of interest
problems, in 2010 and again in 2012.
Sometimes groups expect to see
increased funding as the result of the appointment of sympathetic
individuals to the board. That occurred last fall when Diane Winokur
was appointed. The chief scientist for The ALS Association, said
Winokur will be “a tremendous asset in moving the ALS research field forward through CIRM funding."
The conflict issue even surfaces in picayune ways. In 2006, board members from various institutions spent
considerable time debating a minor requirement involving press
releases. They were concerned that the proposal would make their
institutions subordinate to the interests of CIRM. At the end of the
discussion, the institutional directors prevailed and kept their PR
departments from having to notify CIRM about press releases dealing
with the hundreds of millions of dollars in state grants that they
receive.
All this, and yet on Jan. 24, 2013,
CIRM Chairman Jonathan Thomas was quoted in a CIRM press release as
saying “no one has found any actual conflicts” at the
agency.
In the media, some of the recent news
stories have reported that the IOM did not find any “actual”
conflicts at the agency. The explanation for that is simple, but
mainly omitted from the articles. The IOM did not look for any
conflicts of “inappropriate behavior,” as its report clearly
states. The California Stem Cell Report last weekend asked the
chairman of the IOM panel, Harold Shapiro, why it did not look for
conflicts. He replied,

“Our committee was given a set of
defined tasks from the IOM(which was under a $700,000 contract with
CIRM), and we followed them."

Nonetheless, the IOM report said “far
too many” board members are linked to institutions that receive
funds from CIRM. A compilation by the California Stem Cell Report
shows that about 90 percent of the $1.7 billion that the board has
awarded has gone to institutions linked to past and present board
members.
The fundamental conflict problem with
the CIRM board is that nearly all the California institutions that stood to
benefit from the agency's largess were given seats at the table where the
money is handed out, under the terms of Proposition 71.
Conflict problems are not unique to
CIRM and government agencies. They are also a matter of concern at
nonprofit, grant-making foundations, which in some ways CIRM
resembles.
The Council on Foundations, a
national nonprofit association of more than 1,700 grant-making
organizations, takes pains on its web site to explain the
importance of managing and avoiding conflicts of interests. In its advice to its members, the group makes it clear that the issue goes
well beyond simple financial conflicts. It says,

“(Board) members must represent
unconflicted loyalty to the interest of the foundation. This
accountability supersedes any conflicting loyalty such as that to
advocacy or interest groups, business interests, personal interests or paid or volunteer service
to other organizations.”

In the case of the stem cell agency,
the “unconflicted loyalty” is to the people of California. Perhaps the California stem cell agency
can convince state leaders, both public and private, and its voters
that no conflicts exist at the state agency. But it is a big bet and
probably carries with it the entire future of what the board and many
believe is an exceedingly promising scientific effort.
Perhaps it would be wise for the board
to step back and say, “Yes, there are serious conflict problems at
CIRM. We recognize that and are working on additional measures to
create an independent board as recommended by the IOM.”

Source:
http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/blogspot/uqpFc/~3/lRsZniTbXbU/debunking-stem-cell-agency-claims-of-no.html

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Stem Cell Therapy Testimonial – Arthritis 1-888-545-4333 – Video

Saturday, February 9th, 2013


Stem Cell Therapy Testimonial - Arthritis 1-888-545-4333
Stem Cell Therapy Testimonial - Arthritis 1-888-545-4333

By: Bofitmiami

Read the original here:
Stem Cell Therapy Testimonial - Arthritis 1-888-545-4333 - Video

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Stem Cell Therapy With Bob – Thomas Schwarzl – SBI – Runner up 2013 – Video

Wednesday, February 6th, 2013


Stem Cell Therapy With Bob - Thomas Schwarzl - SBI - Runner up 2013
Tom is a science punk from the Alps doing his PhD with Systems Biology Ireland. He likes to challenge everything, discover patterns in high complex problems and making them clear for everyone to understand. Besides his scientific interest in stem cell therapy and cancer research, he likes Post Secret, street art, and is planning a start-up after his PhD.

By: thesisin3

See the original post:
Stem Cell Therapy With Bob - Thomas Schwarzl - SBI - Runner up 2013 - Video

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Sacramento Bee: Stem Cell Agency Falling Short on IOM Recommendations

Sunday, February 3rd, 2013

It's exceedingly rare when the
California stem cell agency makes the front page of any newspaper.

So it is worthy of note that The
Sacramento Bee
this morning carried a lengthy piece on its page one
about the agency and its response to the blue-ribbon Institute of
Medicine
(IOM) report.
The headline said,

 “Analyst: Stem
cell agency reforms fall short.”

The analyst is the Institute of
Medicine, more specifically Harold Shapiro, chairman of the panel that
studied California's $3 billion research effort for 17 months at
a cost of $700,000 to the agency.
Bee reporter Cynthia Craft wrote that
Shapiro said the stem cell agency is “falling short” in its
response to the IOM recommendation.
Craft wrote,

"'There certainly is a gap between
what we recommended and what they responded with,' said Shapiro,
president emeritus at Princeton
University
. ' I wish they had moved closer to our
recommendations.'"

Craft said the IOM made sweeping recommendations “emphasizing the need for new blood on a governing
board that has been plagued by the appearance of conflicts of
interest, cronyism and sluggishness in getting stem-cell products to
market.”
Craft also interviewed Jonathan
Thomas
, chairman of the stem cell agency, who said some of the IOM
recommendations would take legislative action. But Thomas said that
was “out of the question.”
Craft wrote,

“The process would take years, he
said. The first opportunity to get on the ballot, for instance, would
be in the fall of 2014.”

The agency will run out of cash for new
grants in less than four years.
Craft's story was the first major news
article in years about the agency in the Bee, the only daily
newspaper in the state's capital. She reviewed a bit of the history
of the agency and concerns about conflicts of interest. She
concluded,

“Shapiro said he stands firmly behind
his committee's report. 

"'I think our recommendations sit
together and interrelate to each other well – and should have been
moved along as quickly as possible,' Shapiro said. 

"'It might have been helpful if
they indicated to us what they were willing to do and what they
weren't,' he said."

Source:
http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/blogspot/uqpFc/~3/tEEJz8_Jcds/sacramento-bee-stem-cell-agency-falling.html

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Stem Cell Agency Plan Falls Far Short of Solving IOM Concerns

Sunday, February 3rd, 2013

The governing board of the $3 billion
California stem cell agency last week fell far short of complying
with the recommendations of a blue-ribbon Institute of Medicine (IOM) study
that the agency itself commissioned to improve its performance.

Many of the proposals by the IOM dealt
with conflicts of interest at the eight-year-old agency, which board members
reluctantly recognized on Wednesday as a perception problem. Under the plan approved last week, 13 of the 29 members of the board would not be allowed to vote on any awards. They are members tied to institutions that benefit from funding. Three other board members linked to those beneficiary
institutions, however, would still be allowed to vote on grants other than
those to their institutions. .
The board did nothing to deal with the
structural issues involving conflicts of interest that are built into
the board as the result of Prop. 71, the ballot measure that created the research
effort in 2004. The 29-member board was constituted in such a way as
to give nearly all institutions that could benefit a seat at the
table where the money is handed out. It is as if the state's Public
Utility Commission
, which sets utility rates, were dominated by
executives of the utility companies.
Under longstanding rules, individual members of the stem
cell board are barred from voting on grants to their institutions. However, the board still determines the game and the rules. The board approves the
specific areas of research for funding, approves plans for individual
RFAS, sets the rules for the grants and loans and enforces compliance
through CIRM staff.
The board last week limited itself to
changes that it could enact on its own. Many of the IOM
recommendations, including a new majority of independent members,
would require legislative action, which opens the agency to a wider
range of changes than even the IOM recommended. That is not a prospect the agency relishes. Nonetheless,
how well the board complies with the IOM recommendations is likely to
be critical to its plans to raise funds to continue its operations
beyond 2017, when the taxpayer cash runs out for new grants.
Here is a look at the key IOM recommendations and the response so far from the stem cell agency(see here and here).
More details may emerge between now the next CIRM board meeting in
the San Francisco Bay Area March 19, when the board is schedule to finalize its IOM plan. 
IOM Recommendation
“Change the Composition and Structure
of the Board and Working Groups.
“CIRM should put systems in place to
restructure the board to have a majority of independent members,
without increasing the size of the board. It should include
representatives of the diverse constituencies with interests in stem
cell research, but no institution or organization should be
guaranteed a seat on the board. Consideration should be given to
adding members from the business community....The chair and other
ICOC members should be prohibited from serving on the working groups.
During the reconstitution of the working groups, the current level of
representation of disease advocates should be maintained, such board
members being replaced with other disease advocates who are not board
members.”
CIRM Response
The Thomas plan basically is a total
rejection of this recommendation. The CIRM board does not support
creation of a new majority of independent members, which would mean
some current members would lose their seats if the board were not
increased beyond 29 members. No members will be added from industry.
Board members will continue to serve on the grant review panel and
other groups, contrary to IOM recommendations. In the case of grant
reviews, however, they would no longer vote in the closed door
sessions. The board has no plans to add patient advocates who are not
board members to working groups, including the grant review panel.
The University of California will continue to have five guaranteed
seats on the board. No independent members currently sit on the
board.
IOM Recommendation
“Revise Conflict of Interest
Definitions and Policies.
“CIRM should revise its definitions
of conflict of interest to recognize conflicts arising from
nonfinancial interests, such as the potential for conflict arising
from an individual’s interest in a specific disease, and should
reassess its policies for managing conflict of interest in light of
this broader definition.”
CIRM Response
CIRM has no plans to move to prevent
nonfinancial conflicts of interest. Several board members expressed
strong opposition to such an effort. Sixteen persons who sit on the
board have ties to institutions that receive CIRM funds. Currently
individual board members cannot vote on applications from their
institutions. To avoid the appearance of conflicts of interest, the
Thomas plan would have the 13 members directly appointed from
beneficiary institutions voluntarily abstain from voting on any grant
applications. Apparently not affected under the Thomas plan would be
three other board members who are appointed as patient advocates. Two
of them are employed by beneficiary institutions. The third is
chairwoman of the UC Board of Regents. All of the board members would
continue to vote on plans for all rounds of grants, including
determination of some of the specifics of the ensuing RFAs.
IOM Recommendation
“Restructure the Grant Review and
Funding Process.
“CIRM should restructure the grant
review and funding process to separate oversight and strategic
planning from day-to-day operations. The ICOC (the agency's governing
board) should remain responsible for oversight and articulation of an
overall strategic plan. However, grant management, funding
recommendations, and grant administration should be the
responsibility of the CIRM scientific staff, reporting to the
president. This restructuring would help mitigate concerns related to
conflicts of interest and would also put the review and funding
process in the hands of those best equipped to make those decisions.”
CIRM Response
CIRM patient advocate board members who
serve on the grant review group would not vote on applications during
the grant review sessions. They would be limited to voting at public
board meetings. They would lead discussion of non-scientific
considerations for approval of applications during the public
sessions. Currently that occurs during the closed door review.
IOM Recommendation
Abolish the “extraordinary petition”
mechanism for public appeals of negative grant reviews.
CIRM Response
Move all appeals to staff level and
behind closed doors. Currently extraordinary petitions are handled in
public board meetings, sometimes leading to lengthy, emotional
sessions with presentations by patient advocates. The public in
general, including grant applicants, continues to have the right
under state law to address the board on grant applications or any
other matter they wish.
IOM Recommendation
“Separate Operations from Oversight.
“The board should focus on strategic
planning, oversee financial performance and legal compliance, assess
the performance of the president and the board, and develop a plan
for transitioning CIRM to sustainability. The board should oversee
senior management but should not be involved in day-to-day
management. The chair and the board
should delegate day-to-day management responsibilities to the
president. Each of the three working groups should report to
management rather than to the ICOC.”
CIRM Response
The Thomas plan does not appear to
differ significantly from current operations, which reflect the
troubling dual executive arrangement involving the chairman and
president that was created by Prop. 71, the ballot measure that
created CIRM. The existing arrangement is also a hangover from the
days of the agency's first chairman, Robert Klein, and has been an
obstacle in previous recruitment efforts for a president of the
agency. The Thomas plan does eliminate a dual reporting arrangement
for the chief financial officer, a position that has been vacant
since last summer. Thomas indicated last fall that the position would
not be filled. Both the chairman of the IOM study panel and the
California state controller's office both say more needs to be done
to separate operations from oversight.
IOM Recommendation
“Enhance Industry Representation in
Key Aspects of CIRM Organization.
“Industry representation on the ICOC,
the Scientific Advisory Board, the Standards Working Group, and the
Grants Working Group should be enhanced to leverage industry’s
expertise and resources in product development, manufacturing, and
regulatory approval in support of the ultimate goal of bringing
therapies to patients.”
CIRM Response
The Thomas plan would increase industry
involvement “where appropriate.” However, industry has complained
for years about this problem, and some board members as well. But
little has been done to deal with the problem. Recently, the agency
has taken some steps to engage industry, but the IOM was aware of
those when it made its recommendation for closer cooperation.
IOM Recommendation
“Establish a Scientific Advisory
Board.
“CIRM should establish a single
Scientific Advisory Board comprising individuals with expertise in
the scientific, clinical, ethical, industry, and regulatory aspects
of stem cell biology and cell-based therapies.” Members of this
board would be from out of state and replace existing advisory
boards. They would be appointed by and report to president.
CIRM Response
CIRM says the structure and membership
of the a new board is under discussion, but generally indicated it
would go along this proposal. Not specifically addressed was
abolition of other advisory groups.
Develop a “sustainability” platform
in consultation with current and future partners, including sources
of funding.
IOM Recommendation
Develop a “sustainability” platform
in consultation with current and future partners, including sources
of funding.

CIRM Response
Chairman Jonathan Thomas said he is
working on details of a plan.
IOM Recommendations
“Incorporate Future Enforcement of
Intellectual Property Policies in the Sustainability Platform.
“As part of the plan maximizing the
continued impact of CIRM’s many achievements..., CIRM should
propose regulations that specify who will have the power and
authority to assert and enforce in the future rights retained by the
state in CIRM-funded intellectual property.”
“Consider Harmonizing Intellectual
Property Policies with Policies of Bayh-Dole Act.
“As other sources of funding for stem
cell research become available and as the field of regenerative
medicine advances from the laboratory to the clinic, the ICOC should
reconsider whether its goal of developing cures would be better
served by harmonizing CIRM’s IP policies wherever possible with the
more familiar policies of the Bayh-Dole Act.”
CIRM Response
The governing board's IP Subcommittee
will review the policies and make recommendations.

Source:
http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/blogspot/uqpFc/~3/0VfeUpeWrOw/stem-cell-agency-plan-falls-far-short.html

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Los Angeles Times Columnist: Stem Cell Agency Still Saddled with Conflict of Interest Problems

Sunday, February 3rd, 2013

The governing board of the $3 billion
California stem cell agency will remain dominated by “special
interests” even with the adoption of a plan last week responding to
the far-reaching recommendations of a blue-ribbon Institute of
Medicine (IOM)
study, a columnist for the Los Angeles Times said today.

Michael Hiltzik, Pulitzer Prize winning
writer and author, wrote that IOM study showed the agency “the path
to cleansing itself of its aura of connivance and influence trading.
That the board can't even bring itself to place the proposals before
the voters or their elected representatives only shows how much money
it's willing to waste to keep living in its own little world.”
Hiltzik's column in California'slargest circulation newspaper included fresh comments from both
Harold Shapiro, who chaired 17-month IOM study, which was
commissioned by CIRM, and Jonathan Thomas, the chairman of CIRM and
who drew up the response.
Hiltzik wrote that the study “concluded
that the CIRM board members were saddled with 'almost unavoidable
conflicts of interest, whether actual or perceived.'” He continued,

“That's because by law, 23 of the 29
members must be representatives of California institutions eligible
for CIRM grants or of disease advocacy groups with their own interest
in steering money toward their particular concerns. 

“As a remedy, the panel proposed
eliminating some board slots reserved for grant-receiving
institutions by Proposition
71,
 the 2004 initiative that created the agency. The idea
was to fill those slots with truly independent members free of any
stake in CIRM funding, even indirectly.”

 Hiltzik wrote,

 "Thomas told me his proposal dealt
with even perceived conflicts of interest on the board in such
"definitive fashion" that it won't be necessary to bother
the Legislature, much less the voters, with such big changes as
remaking the board with a majority of independent members. He pointed
out, not without some pride, that one board member called his
proposed changes 'draconian.'"

Hiltzik had some praise for Thomas.

“Let's stipulate that Thomas has, in
CIRM terms, moved a mountain by jostling the board even this far.
Since its inception, the board has set records for arrogance. That's
a direct legacy from Proposition 71, which exempted the stem cell
program, uniquely among California government bodies, from any
practical oversight by the Legislature or elected officials.”

The Times columnist continued,

“Shapiro told me from his Princeton
office that Thomas' proposals were 'a significant step in the right
direction, which at least indicates that they haven't ignored the
report.' But he doesn't share Thomas' view that voluntary recusals
solve the conflict of interest problem. That can be done, Shapiro
said, only by replacing stake-holding board members with
independents.

"'The more you can reduce the
inherent conflicts, the better off everyone is going to be,' he said.
The board will 'have to go further over time, in my view.'"

Hiltzik wrote,

“The Shapiro panel said it didn't
find any instances of inappropriate behavior by board members or
specific conflicts, but there are two reasons for that: It didn't
search for any, and Proposition 71 defined certain conflicts out of
existence. The measure states that it's no conflict for a board
member to also be an officer of an academic institution or private
corporation that might be applying for grants.

“One of the CIRM board's enduring
self-delusions is that its conflicts of interest are purely a matter
of 'perception.' But there have been documented instances
of favoritism shown to well-connected grant or loan applicants, and
at least one overt attempt by a board member to overturn a rejection
of his institution's project. So much of the board's discussion takes
place behind closed doors or informally that the opportunities for
mutual back scratching are incalculable.

“Thomas' 'draconian' proposals won't
change this state of affairs. Special interests will still dominate
the board. Will barring 13 members from voting on grants while giving
them full rein to participate in discussions really eradicate even
the perception of conflicts? You'd have to be terminally naive to
think so.”

Source:
http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/blogspot/uqpFc/~3/I_jSJSpM3nU/los-angeles-times-columnist-stem-cell.html

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