California: The Leader in Stem Cell Research
With funding from CIRM, California has become a world-leader in stem cell research. Learn more about how CIRM changes the landscape of research in California and about laws in other states.
How will CIRM accelerate stem cell therapies?
What are the economic implications of stem cell research?
How does CIRM save the state money?
What were the federal restrictions on human embryonic stem cell research under President Bush?
How did federal regulations of human embryonic stem cell research change under President Obama?
What is happening with stem cell research in other states?
As the largest source of funding for stem cell research outside the National Institutes of Health, CIRM supports innovative research programs focused on accelerating treatments to patients in need.
In addition, CIRM has also supported the construction of state-of-the-art facilities that were needed in order to build the infrastructure and perform research without the restrictions that came with federal funding under President George W. Bush.
CIRM has specifically targeted areas that will help push stem cell research toward the clinic. Our SEED grants pulled more scientists into stem cell research than ever before, and the Comprehensive awards supported leading stem cell scientists already in California. CIRM encouraged young faculty to commit their labs to stem cell science through two rounds of New Faculty awards. Finally, training grants and Bridges awards ensure a next generation of stem cell scientists and laboratory personnel to fill the needs of a growing stem cell research sector in California.
This NPR story discusses the value of stem cell funding in California:
Stem cell research has the potential to treat diseases that are currently burdened with high health care costs—especially chronic conditions such as heart disease, Alzheimer’s disease or diabetes, the costs of which threaten to cripple the healthcare system. Even if a stem cell-based therapy doesn’t entirely cure a disease, reducing its impact would be an enormous economic benefit.
In addition to reduced health care costs, new therapies would allow those people to go back to work, or allow their caregivers to work again. This increased productivity funnels tax dollars right back into the state.
Stem cell research is expected to be a boon to the biotech industry, bringing new companies to the state and creating high-paying jobs. The new CIRM-funded facilities also provide construction jobs throughout the state.
CIRM funding creates jobs, saves health care costs and creates tax revenue. So far, CIRM's 12 major facilities construction projects are generating 13,000 job-years of employment, bringing in over $100 million in new tax revenue. In addition, CIRM’s research grants create tens of thousands of additional job-years.
As of January 2015, CIRM has not cost the state's general fund any money. The bonds used to fund CIRM's activities were forward capitalized, so that the agency paid all its own interest costs for the first five years. Once the state begins paying interest, tax revenue generated by CIRM research grants should exceed interest costs for at least the next three to five years.
New therapies developed from CIRM funding will be available to the state at a reduced cost, further lowering state spending on health care. Some new therapies will save money compared to current therapies. Over time, these savings should far exceed CIRM’s costs to the general fund. Furthermore, intellectual property developed through CIRM funding will generate income to the state.
Individual states have passed legislation that either allow some forms of human embryonic stem cell research or specifically ban certain forms of research. A handful of states have passed laws to either fund stem cell research or at least encourage the research. Other states have laws that make the research extremely difficult and in some cases illegal.
Federal institutions could only fund research with human embryonic stem cell lines that had been created before Aug. 9, 2001—when president Bush made his announcement regarding funding for stem cell research. At the time of the announcement there were only 22 lines available for federal funding, and many of those are showing signs of degradation from so many years of growing in a lab.
Because of these restrictions, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) mainly funded adult stem cell research. Federal funds could not be used to create new human embryonic stem cell lines, a strategy that is critical in order to fulfill the promise of new therapies based on embryonic stem cell research.
In addition to not funding basic research, scientists could not use any equipment or lab space that had been paid for by federal funds to do work with non-federally approved human embryonic stem cell lines. This is why CIRM invested more than $271 million in grants that have funded the construction of new stem cell research facilities where work on all types of stem cells takes place.
On March 9, 2009, President Barack Obama lifted the restrictions on federal funding for human embryonic stem cell lines created after August 9, 2001. New regulations to guide this funding were finalized by the NIH in July 2009. The first stem cell lines to be reviewed and approved under the new guidelines were announced five months later.
This decision put an end to the restrictions on working with new cell lines with federal equipment. Institutions that had previously maintained dual laboratory space and equipment for working with federal and non-federal stem cell lines could immediately start using federal equipment in research with all cell lines.
Find out More:
This NIH page contains information about the federal stem cell policy