CIRM 2.0: New urgency for therapeutic development

Print 17 December 2014
BioCenture

Ten years after California voters passed Proposition 71 on the promise that stem cell technology would produce new therapies, the board of the the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine (CIRM) last week unanimously approved $50 million for "CIRM 2.0" to accelerate the progress of clinical-stage programs.

Beginning Jan. 1, 2015, CIRM 2.0 initially will distribute awards to projects ready to start a clinical trial or for researchers who are doing the work required by the FDA to begin a clinical study. Grantee projects must be ready to start within 45 days of being approved for funding.

The stem cell agency will accept applications on a monthly basis from academia, industry, and non-California organizations offering to bring promising technology into the state.

In addition to funding, a Clinical Advisory Panel (CAP) will be established for each program. The CAP will consist of at least one of CIRM's internal science officers, outside experts, and at least one patient representative. 

Voters passed the California Stem Cell Research and Cures Act in November 2004. The $50 million for CIRM 2.0 is part of the $3 billion in state bonds authorized by the ballot initiative.

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