California dreaming? A new start for regenerative medicine in the Golden State

摘要

The California Institute for Regenerative Medicine (CIRM) was established in 2004 with thenpassage of Proposition 71, the California Stem Cell Research and Cures Initiative. Thenstatewide ballot measure, which provided US$3 billion in funding for stem cell research atnCalifornia universities and research institutions, was approved by California voters, andncalled for the establishment of an entity to make grants and provide loans for stem cellnresearch, research facilities and other vital research opportunities. Here, Dr Zach Hall,nInterim President of the CIRM, outlines the ethos and aspirations of the CIRM tonRegenerative Medicine. Dr Hall trained as a basic neuroscientist and became a facultynmember and department chair at the University of California, San Francisco. In 1994, henwas appointed Director of National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke withinnthe National Institutes of Health, and was responsible for a research program that awardednmore than US$500 million a year in grants and contracts. Since that time, he has heldnsenior positions in research administration within both the University of California,nSan Francisco, where he was Executive Vice Chancellor, and the University of SouthernnCalifornia. Full information about the CIRM can be found at www.cirm.ca.gov.