California Stem Cell Agency OKs Facility Rules, Staff Changes
The oversight committee for the California Institute of Regenerative Medicine on Wednesday approved review policies for applications for grants to build new facilities and interim staffing changes while the institute searches for a new president, the San Diego Union-Tribune reports.
Zach Hall's resignation as president of CIRM took effect this week (Somers, San Diego Union-Tribune, 5/3). California voters in 2004 approved Proposition 71 to create CIRM to oversee $3 billion in state funds to be used to fund stem cell research (California Healthline, 4/18).
The committee voted to require the working group that will review applications for $220 million in facilities grants to hold public hearings to collect input on how applications should be evaluated and what standards grant recipients should be held to.
Working groups developing CIRM's policies for intellectual property and ethics convene similar public hearings.
Draft guidelines for the facilities working group will be presented to CIRM's oversight board at its August meeting. The guidelines could be approved at that time (San Diego Union-Tribune, 5/3).
The board on Wednesday selected Lori Hoffman as interim CIRM president. She has served as CFO of the institute since November 2006.
In addition, the board named as interim chief scientific officer Arlene Chiu. For the past two years, she has worked as director of scientific activities for CIRM.
Hoffman and Chiu will hold the positions until the board selects a new president.
The board also tapped David Lichtenger to chair the Scientific and Medical Facilities Working Group, which will oversee the review process for facilities grants (AP/Riverside Press-Enterprise, 5/2). Albert Doms resigned as chair of the committee last month (California Healthline, 4/18).