Stem Cell Results from California Program: New Book Points to Progress
What: Book Launch on October 14th, International Stem Cell Appreciation Day
Where: California stem cell agency, 210 King Street (across from AT&T Park) San Francisco
When: Wednesday, October 14th, 2015, 11 AM till 1 PM
Who: Contact Don C. Reed, diverdonreed@pacbell.net, (650) 812-1011
Is California getting its money’s worth from the $3 billion stem cell program, begun as a citizen’s initiative, Proposition 71, eleven years ago?
“Overwhelmingly!”, says Bay Area author and long-term patient advocate Don C. Reed, pointing to progress made by the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine (CIRM) in more than two dozen “incurable” diseases, including:
• Diabetes: CIRM helped develop a credit-card sized device to be placed under the skin, where it would distribute cells to potentially eliminate the need for insulin injections;
• Cancer: research sponsored by CIRM offers a way to strip off the camouflage of the cancer cells, so the body’s own immune system can detect and eliminate the danger;
• Paralysis: CIRM-funded stem cells may “re-insulate” damaged nerves in a paralyzed spine, allowing the brain and body to communicate again.
“Step-by-step scientific progress towards cure is not always headline material”, says Reed, “But medical research from the California stem cell program may rescue the quality of our lives: providing benefits that will last, saving lives and easing pain, after the political squabbles and movie star shenanigans have long since been forgotten.”
The first 25 attendees at the Oct 14th book launch will receive a free copy of “STEM CELL BATTLES: Proposition 71 and Beyond: How Ordinary People Can Fight Back Against the Crushing Burden of Chronic Disease”, from World Scientific Publishing, Inc.