Editorial: CIRM Still Struggles With Conflicts of Interest
A Sacramento Bee editorial posits that while Jonathan Thomas -- chair of the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine -- has vowed to avoid conflicts of interest in allocating public dollars for stem cell research, the institute continues to have "serious conflicts." For instance, CIRM's oversight board recently awarded a $20 million grant to StemCells, after the company launched a lobbying effort to win the money and external experts recommended against the award. The authors write, "None of this helps CIRM's reputation in being fair and impartial in spending $3 billion in public funds."
- "Editorial: More Conflicts Come to Light at Stem Cell Institute" (Sacramento Bee, 5/25).