Scientists Concerned About Delays of Proposition 71 Funds Choose Singapore Lab Over Stanford
Two geneticists from the National Cancer Institute said recently that they would move to Singapore to conduct stem cell research rather than Stanford University because of delays in the allocation of Proposition 71 grants, the San Jose Mercury News reports.
Opponents of Proposition 71 have filed several lawsuits against the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine that have prevented the state from issuing bonds. The lawsuits allege conflicts of interest among stem cell board members and inadequate state oversight of grant allocation.
In an e-mail, geneticists Neal Copeland and Nancy Jenkins said "we would have come [to Stanford] if the Proposition 71 money were in hand." Copeland and Jenkins' research lab and staff would have cost $1.4 million annually for about a decade.
The scientists, who are married, said they would instead work for the Singapore Institute of Molecular and Cell Biology. According to the Mercury News, stem cell research in Singapore faces "fewer restrictions than U.S. programs" (Krieger, San Jose Mercury News, 11/20).