With its recent round of grants,
the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine (CIRM) continues a trend begun
several years ago now – increasing support for non-embryonic stem cell research
and reducing support for destructive human embryonic stem cell research (hESCR)
and research aimed at human cloning. This
trend by CIRM away from embryonic stem cell research is not driven by any
ethical concerns—CIRM continues to issue grants for hESCR, only on a far
smaller scale than originally envisaged.
CIRM was founded, after all, on the premise that it would give funding
priority to hESCR and cloning for research as those were considered the most
promising avenues for producing cures.
But since 2004, when California voters approved a referendum
establishing CIRM, the evidence for the efficacy of adult stem cells to provide
therapeutic benefits for patients has continually increased, while the evidence
for human embryonic stem cells to do the same has decreased. CIRM, for instance, approved a $25 million
loan[1] to
Geron for that company’s now infamous clinical trial using hESCs to treat
spinal cord injury, only to see Geron cancel the trial just over one year after
the first patient was treated -- with no evidence of therapeutic benefits to
the five patients who received the hESCs (see previous blog, “An Era EndsBefore It Even Begins”).
According to a report in Nature,
since October 2011 CIRM has been considering a new 5 year strategic plan that
gives funding priority to stem cell research with the best chance of leading to
clinical trials. The new plan, adopted
in late May, envisions at least 10 early stage clinical trials within the next
5 years.
Commenting on the shift of emphasis from basic research to
preparing for clinical trails,
Deepak Srivastava, a cardiovascular researcher at the
Gladstone Institute in San Francisco,
told Nature “With their stated goals
of getting cures into people, it’s appropriate to shift the balance.”
The latest round of CIRM grants, announced the same day the
new strategic plan was adopted, reflects this funding priority of “getting
cures to people.” Of the 21 grants –totaling $69.3 million – only 6 involve
research using hESCs[2] None of the grants go to human cloning for
research.
The remaining 15 grants all go to research using adult stem
cells, iPSCs and direct reprogramming of adult cells. Obviously this funding emphasis -- a lion’s
share of $50.9 million --on non-embryonic research reflects a belief that these
avenues hold the most promise for producing actual therapies.
