California Stem Cell Report
News, information and commentary on public policy and business issues involving California's new stem cell agency, the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine, created by Prop. 71. This Web page is published by David Jensen, whose background and email contact can be found on this page under oddly titled section, "About Me."
Tuesday, September 18, 2007
Trounson, Air Bridges and Hot Water
Coverage and commentary continued to roll out today on the appointment of Alan Trounson as the new president of the agency that is the world's single largest source of funding for human embryonic stem cell research.
In the United States, one commentator who has been a strong critic of the California stem cell agency said Trounson "certainly brings a lot to the table." In Australia, California stem cell Chairman Robert Klein was quoted as saying he envisions "an air bridge from Australia to California."
First the commentary from Jesse Reynolds of the Center for Genetics and Society in Oakland, Ca. Reynolds wrote on the center's blog, Biopolitical Times:
"(Trounson is) an accomplished scientist, businessman, and advocate - a diverse set of skills which will be critical for such a challenging post. Of course, the most important skill - the ability to juggle the numerous strong personalities and interests on the agency's board - is less visible from a CV."Reynolds touched on the flap a few years ago involving Trounson and the rat video.
"As an advocate, Trounson got himself into hot water five years ago by misrepresenting the progress of embryonic stem cell research before the Australian Parliament. He showed MPs a video of a paralyzed rat that regained mobility after an injection of what he claimed were human embryonic stem cells. In fact, it had been treated with germ cells taken from a human embryo after 5 to 9 weeks of development. This caught the attention of the Prime Minister, who called Trounson's statements "very untidy" and ordered a review of a US$ 24 million grant.In Australia, Leigh Dayton, in a story on the Australian News Network, a web site involving a number of Australian newpspapers, had an interview with Klein,
Of all his public activities, I find Trounson's position on cloning-based stem cell research to the most interesting. He has repeatedly made skeptical statements (Reynolds has links to those) on the potential for the theoretical technique to produce cures, regularly citing its inefficiency and impracticality, particularly the need for many human eggs. Trounson has even called it a 'a non-event.'
But when actual limits on the practice are at stake, Trounson has changed his tune. During debates at the United Nations on a global ban on human cloning, he said that "the benefits of therapeutic cloning are really quite enormous." And when Australia was reviewing its three-year moratorium on research cloning, Trounson said, "This is really something that we can't ignore.... I think it's terribly important to make disease-specific stem cells. A lot of people think that we will see things happening to those cells that we wouldn't be able to predict if we're looking at patients with the full expression of the disease."
"'I see an air bridge from Australia to California,' said Bob Klein, the driving force behind the establishment of the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine, the agency with the job of doling out up to $300 million a year for stem cell research. 'Hopefully, this will be the start of a tremendous international relationship.
"Mr. Klein and Professor Trounson predicted their partnership would speed up the delivery of therapies from the laboratory to the clinic.
"'I see (his appointment) as a tremendous opportunity to be in the front line of a major revolution in medicine,' Professor Trounson said. 'This is the epicentre for stem cell research and therapies.'"
Labels: media coverage, presidential search
Monday, September 17, 2007
Wired Story on Trounson; Sheehy Comments
Wired.com carried a story today by this writer on the appointment of Alan Trounson as the new president of the California stem cell agency. It included a portion of a response that we received from Jeff Sheehy, a member of the CIRM Oversight Committee, in response to questions concerning the presidential search process, whether many members of the ICOC had met face-to-face with Trounson and whether Trounson had been among the candidates from the very beginning.
Here is the complete response from Sheehy:
"Not sure if you mean the very, very beginning--I wasn't on Presidential search sub-com at that point, so I don't know the candidates who were in that mix. Many members of the ICOC have met him face to face, both through this process and also through other occasions, ie, as a fellow scientist at conferences or some other occasion/s in the past. Bob has met him, again, I don't have all of the details---though personally, I believe that his recent trip to the ISSCR conference in Australia played an essential and probably decisive role in this stellar recruitment. As for the process, I had felt that it would not be possible to find a candidate that fulfilled everyone's expectations. After the first interview, I was frankly stunned and delighted to realize that Dr. Trounson would either meet or exceed almost every expectation that we individually had for a candidate for this position--a world renowned stem cell researcher, significant management/administrative experience, significant private sector experience, significant translational experience, a clear well-articulated scientific vision, demonstrated leadership experience, experience with the public, media and political leaders, ability to position CIRM to realize its potential as a global engine for stem cell research and to develop and sustain the relationships with other nations' stem cell efforts in order to avoid wasteful duplication of effort and create (my least favorite word, but I don't have another) synergies between these efforts and CIRM's, and no issues around maintaining a lab. I'm sure I'm missing a couple of other points, but I think you get the gist. In short, we are fortunate to have him lead CIRM and I firmly believe that under his leadership, we will succeed in making a difference in the lives of patients and as Terri Somers put it in the SD Union Trib, it is a "coup" for California."
Labels: presidential search
Reaction to Trounson: CIRM Management Issues to His Love of Learning
The appointment of Alan Trounson to head California's $3 billion stem cell agency is triggering more reaction today, ranging from curiosity about his Australian origins to the continuing structural and management issues at the fledgling institute.
Here are some samples:
David Hamilton, writing on VentureBeat.
"...(T)he challenges CIRM still faces are significant, and it doesn’t help that Trounson apparently won’t even start his new job until the end of the year â€" and even then will likely work part-time while he winds down his involvement with his Monash laboratory. With all due respect to acting president Richard Murphy, it’s still likely to be a while before CIRM gets the steady hand on the tiller it appears to need so badly.Monya Baker, news editor of NatureReports Stem Cells, wrote on The Niche, the stem cell blog of Nature magazine,
"One strength that has not been highlighted is Trounson’s potential to link US scientists with those in the Asia-Pacific region. He has been very active in efforts to found an Asian-Pacific Stem Cell Network, and quite vocal about the advantages that that region has for stem cell research. When meeting with leading stem-cell scientists from around the region in June, Trounson was emphatic in discussing the need for political champions.Patient advocate Don Reed brought his unique perspective to the news in his Sept. 16 item on www.stemcellbattles
"Trounson also has experience working successfully in a highly politicized environment. Though largely unnoticed in the US, Australian politicians and scientists launched a successful campaign to make somatic cell nuclear transfer legal."
Larry Ebert, writing on his Ipbiz blog, has a discussion of patent and WARF issues related to Trounson.
(Editor's Note: John M. Simpson of the Foundation for Taxpayer and Consumers Rights, asked the light-hearted question about Trounson"s ancestor. After this item was first posted on this blog, Simpson said that Trounson said that his ancestor stole the books. Simpson said that Trounson also reported that "his ancestor had been 'trying to better himself'
and hoped that his genetic material had continued through to him...")
Labels: CIRM management, IP, media coverage, presidential search
'Call Me Slogger'
For those of you interested in the prurient details of this blog and its author, you can read more about them on Wired.com today. See the story headlined "Stem-Cell Blogger Tells Ups and Downs of Connecting From Sailboat."
In other news, we will have more later today on the appointment of Alan Trounson as president of CIRM.
Labels: CSCR
Saturday, September 15, 2007
NY Times on Trounson
The New York Times reported today that Alan Trounson's "mix of scientific and business experience was an important factor in his selection" as the president of the California stem cell agency
Reporter Andrew Pollack cited CIRM board members as the source for the assessment. Here is Pollack's story.
The Age newspaper in Australia focused on the loss of Trounson and two other major stem cell scientists. The newspaper also quoted Trounson as saying,
"It doesn't get bigger than this."
Labels: presidential search, Trounson coverage
FTCR on Trounson: 'Highest Regard'
The Foundation for Taxpayer and Consumers Right is a longtime observer of and participant in California stem cell issues. John M. Simpson is the organizations'
Alan Trounson is one of the scientists we sought to support our challenge of the the human embryonic stem cell patents held by WARF. He in fact filed a statement to the PTO on our behalf. He agrees with our view that the work done by Jamie Thomson was important and laudable, but not patentable because it was "obvious" to those in the field based on prior research.
Trounson is a stem cell scientist with a worldwide reputation for excellence. I hold him in the highest regard.
He has experience in both basic research and translational research -- moving discoveries in the lab to actual cures.
Trounson has expressed his willingness to turn away from his laboratory and take the helm at CIRM fulltime. He also will divest himself of any investments in stem cell companies. Both steps are necessary.
I believe Trounson can make a major contribution to CIRM, California and stem cell research in general as president, so long as he never forgets his responsibility and accountability as a public official to the citizens of California. If needed, FTCR will remind him of those duties.
Labels: presidential search, trounson reaction
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