Stem cells growing in Calif.

A proposal that would contribute $3 billion to stem cell research in California qualified for placement on the state's 2004 general election ballot last week. The California Secretary of State approved the California Stem Cell Research and Cures Initiative for the ballot after supporters submitted over one million signatures in April. If passed, the initiative would establish the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine to regulate and fund in-state stem cell research. It would prohibit funding of human reproductive cloning research. Larry Goldstein, professor of cellular and molecular medicine at the University of California, San Diego, School of Medicine, said that California researchers are ready for the changes the initiative would bring to the state. "The scientific and biotech community [in California] is poised to take advantage of this funding," he said. In 2002, California became the first state to pass laws supporting stem cell research after President George Bush restricted federal funding for the research in August 2001. New Jersey has followed suit: In January 2004, the state passed legislation endorsing human embryonic stem cell research and prohibiting reproductive cloning, and last month Governor James McGreevey signed legislation to establish the first state-supported stem cell research facility and included $6.5 million for the new institute in his budget proposal. Goldstein said that while he respects his colleagues in New Jersey, California has a bigger economy and "a lot more horsepower." He joked, "I hope we're going to blow New Jersey out of the water." An initial loan of $3 million would come from the state's general fund to cover the institute's start-up costs. State-issued bonds averaging $295 million a year over a 10-year period would finance the project. No payments would be due on the bonds, backed by tax revenues, for the first 5 years. State Senator Deborah Ortiz, who supports the initiative, proposed two similar bond measures to the legislature last year. Both failed due to the state's financial situation at the time, according to Ortiz, but with the state's economy and credit rating improving, the initiative has a better chance of passing. Proponents say that immediate payoffs would include new jobs and more tax revenue. "It wouldn't be beyond us to recruit all over the world to bring the best to California," said Goldstein, cofounder of the biopharmaceutical company Cytokinetics. He added that he feels this initiative is a good investment for California: "Robust funding leads to high rates of return." Although there may be a debate on whether this initiative is a fiscally sound decision for the state, Ortiz said, the potential cuts in healthcare costs would more than pay for the investment over time. "We'd still come out ahead by investing in this research," she told The Scientist. "California is already a leader in health access and advocacy issues," Ortiz added. "For us not to take a stand on [stem cell research] would cause the nation to lose ground." State Controller Steve Westly and State Treasurer Phil Angelides announced their support of the initiative last week, and scientists and celebrities alike are also on board. The coalition's membership already boasts 17 Nobel laureates, including Sydney Brenner and Paul Berg. Last month movie director and producer Jerry Zucker and his wife Janet, whose daughter Katie has type I diabetes, contributed $50,000 to its campaign. Former First Lady Nancy Reagan, whose husband Ronald Reagan died last week of Alzheimer disease, also pledged support to the stem cell cause last month, pushing the issue past party lines and arguing that the research could find ways to treat Alzheimer and other diseases. As states strike out on their own, legislators are clamoring for President Bush to ease federal restrictions on stem cell research. In April, 206 members of Congress sent a letter to Bush outlining several reasons why reevaluating his policy on embryonic stem cell research would be beneficial. Last week, 58 Senators sent a similar letter to the president. "More people are impacted by [degenerative] diseases than by any war or terrorist attack," said Goldstein, therefore we should be spending more money trying to cure and prevent them. "As a society, we can afford to help [these patients]," he added. "It should be a national priority."

Stem cells growing in Calif.

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