Related to CIRM Okays $27M for Two Funds, Proposes Stem Cell Bank with $30M in Awards

• Advancing Stem Cell Therapies for Multiple Sclerosis
  UKSCF partners with MS Society to financially support clinical development.
  
• 2011 Budget Outlook: Trim, Cut, Then Slash
  Agencies like the FDA and NIH are looking at potentially huge cuts.
  
• Study Finds a Friend at NIH but Will Congress Share the Love?
  Paper in NEJM tries to make case for boosting federal research funding amid House leaders’ pursuit of spending cuts.
  
• A Look at the Top Two Bio Clusters in the U.S.: California and Massachusetts
  Financing and workforce issues are at the top of their agendas for this year.
  
• NIH Updates Its Strategy to Combat Obesity
  Research spending has been on the upswing, but so has the obesity epidemic.
  
• Academic Organizations Try to Step Up Their R&D Game
  Sector has work cut out for it as ARRA has dried up and gov’t as well as industry cut budgets.
  
• Revival of Tax Credit Program Depends on Job Creation and Scientific Results
  Members of Congress are trying to expand the Qualified Therapeutic Discovery Program through 2017.
  
• Prospect of Court Appeals and Congressional Bill Hold the Cards for hESC Research
  Case seeks to prevent the use of federal dollars, while Washington’s conservative bent is cause for concern.
  
• Largest U.S. Biotech Clusters Faced Similar Challenges This Year as Seen Elsewhere
  California, Massachusetts, North Carolina, and Maryland have had to find ways to deal with lower funding and attract more firms.
  
• Academic Institutions Won Most of CIRM’s $1.3B in Awards over Past Five Years
  Focus of California’s stem cell agency has been on setting up a foundation for leadership.
  
• California Stem Cell Agency’s Road to Success for Next Five Years Will Have to Run Through the Clinic
  As CIRM considers direction and required financing going forward, it will have to show progress to win support.
  
• Capital Squeeze, Red Tape Mean Less California Dreamin’ for Biopharma CEOs
  A recent CEO survey shows that some firms see greener pastures outside the Golden State.
  
• Full Results from Recent Survey of California Biopharma CEOs Highlight Frustrations
  Companies are increasingly taking their business elsewhere, mostly due to financial constraints.
  
• Jury Is Still Out Over Disclosing Genomic Research Findings to Patients
  While most agree that biobanks share responsibility, how to decide what details to reveal is up for debate.
  
• NIH Taps 25 Schools to Receive Top Dollars
  Did your alma mater make the list?
  
• Weighing the Costs of GMO Labeling
  Whether genetically modified products need to be so named is on the ballot in California.
  
• Cost, Liability Fears Sink GMO Labeling
  Industry prevails in $46 million campaign against California’s Proposition 37, contending compliance would cost consumers up to $400 a year.
  
• SBIR Thinks Smaller
  New rules taking effect on January 28 aim to draw investor-owned smaller biopharmas to the federal grant program and STTR, its companion.
  
• Funding Squeeze Traps Young Researchers
  Postdocs look beyond NIH funding as, despite policy changes, the percentage and age of first-time grant winners stay steady.
  
• 20 Grants for Young Researchers
  Looking for funding? Here are some places to start.