By Don C. Reed
How many Nobel Prize winners, scientists and doctors have already put their good names in support of Proposition 14, the California Stem Cell Research, Treatments and Cures Initiative of 2020? In a minute, I will show you.
You probably already know about the great work done by the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine (CIRM): about the fifty little children whose lives were saved from the otherwise fatal “bubble baby” disease; the paralyzed people who regained a measure of upper body motion and control; the blind who recovered measurable vision, including a woman who now can see her children — for the first time.
But today CIRM’s funding is almost gone, after 16 years of advancing science to ease or alleviate suffering.
So: should California authorize a $5.5 billion dollar renewal of our stem cell program?
Patient advocate Bob Klein and friends have put a request for renewal on the 2020 ballot. If voters approve, Proposition 14: the California Stem Cell Research, Treatments and Cures Initiative of 2020 will make five and a half billion dollars available for research funding.
If you like that idea, lend us your energy.
Put aside some of your many chores and help us gain reliable funding for medical research: primarily stem cell and gene therapy, but with the ability to utilize new forms of science as they develop.
Need a couple reasons to fight for CIRM’s continued existence? Here are ten:
1. CIRM is challenging chronic disease and disability, which cost America an estimated $3 trillion dollars* last year. CIRM works to lessen that mountain of medical debt — by fighting to cure disease, not just maintain folks in their expensive misery.
2. CIRM’s targets include: blindness, various kinds of cancer, ALS (Lou Gehrig’s disease), kidney failure, diabetes, sickle-cell disease, schizophrenia, HIV-AIDS, and dozens more conditions, called chronic: long-lasting or incurable.
3. CIRM has been the largest dedicated source of stem cell and genetic research in the world. Long-term funding allows scientists time to complete their projects, working systematically, sometimes reaching all the way to clinical trials.
4. CIRM has already begun to win: in addition to 50 children cured of the usually-fatal “bubble baby” disease, similar procedures may help defeat sickle-cell anemia. Progress has been made in many conditions, including two FDA- approved methods of fighting often fatal forms of blood cancer.
5. CIRM’s Alpha clinics offer carefully prepared tests for new therapies: also, guidelines for patients to observe when considering a stem cell procedure.
6. CIRM has brought new jobs and additional revenue ($3.2 billion in add-on funds) to California, more than the original $3 billion investment.
7. CIRM cooperates with other states, nations, and institutions, with each side bringing its own funding, more bang for the research buck.
8. CIRM’s “Bridges” program provides on-the-job training (and a salary!) for college students. The Summer Program to Advance Research Knowledge (SPARK) offers professional experience for young people in high school,
9. Twelve new stem cell research facilities have been established: benefiting California from Humboldt in the North to San Diego in the South.
10. CIRM has established strict ethical guidelines for research, in some cases more stringent than the federal government’s.
*https://www.cdc.gov/chronicdisease/about/costs/index.htm
Our choice: should the world’s largest stem cell program continue — or die?
For more information, go to YESON14.com.
Share this small article. Talk to a friend.
Write a letter to the editor. If you want a little help writing it, contact me at diverdonreed@gmail.com
If you are a scientist, or if (like me) you just strongly support research for cure, help us fight for you, so there will be funds available for grants. Five and a half billion dollars is substantive research funding, especially compared to — nothing — which is what we will have, if we lose.
$5.5 billion dollars’ worth of research — or nothing.
Vote YES! on Proposition 14: the California Stem Cell Research, Treatment and Cures Initiative of 2020!
Don C. Reed is the author of “REVOLUTIONARY THERAPIES: How the California Stem Cell Program Saved Lives, Eased Suffering, and Changed the Face of Medicine Forever”, from World Science Publications, Inc.,2020
And now, here are twelve pages of Nobel laureates, scientist, and doctors who have endorsed Proposition 14: a partial listing.
https://caforcures.com/coalition/
Nobel Prize Winners:
David Baltimore, Ph.D.
President Emeritus & Professor of Biology, Caltech
Nobel Prize winner, Physiology or Medicine (1975)
Harold E. Varmus, M.D.
Former Director, National Institutes of Health
Former Director, National Cancer Institute
Nobel Prize winner, Physiology or Medicine (1989)
John B. Gurdon, Ph.D.
Professor Emeritus, University of Cambridge
Nobel Prize winner, Physiology or Medicine (2012)
Louis J. Ignarro, Ph.D.
Professor Emeritus, UCLA School of Medicine
Nobel Prize winner, Physiology or Medicine (1998)
Mario R. Capecchi, Ph.D.
Distinguished Professor of Human Genetics, University of Utah
Nobel Prize winner, Physiology or Medicine (2007)
Shinya Yamanaka, M.D., Ph.D.
Senior Investigator, Gladstone Institute of Cardiovascular Disease
Professor of Anatomy, UCSF
Nobel Prize winner, Physiology or Medicine (2012)
Individuals: Science & Medicine
Aaron Newman, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor of Biomedical Data Science, Stanford University
Aaron V. Kaplan, M.D.
Professor of Medicine, Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth
Adriana Padilla, M.D.
Volunteer Clinical Professor, Family and Community Medicine, UCSF Fresno
Patient Advocate, Type II Diabetes
Adrienne Tuch, M.D.
Kaiser Permanente Department of Pediatrics
Agnieszka Czechowicz, M.D., Ph.D.
Assistant Professor of Pediatrics, Stanford University School of Medicine
Aileen Anderson, Ph.D.
Director, Sue and Bill Gross Stem Cell Research Center, UC Irvine
Alan S. Wayne, M.D.
Director, Cancer & Blood Disease Institute, Children’s Hospital Los Angeles (CHLA) Professor of Pediatrics and Medicine, Keck School of Medicine of USC
Alison Butler, Ph.D.
Distinguished Professor of Chemistry & Biochemistry, UC Santa Barbara
Member, American Academy of Arts & Sciences
Amir Matityahu, M.D.
Professor, Trauma & Problem Fractures, UCSF
Anamika Sharma, M.D.
San Jose Valley Medical Center
Andrew McMahon, Ph.D.
Director, Eli and Edythe Broad Center for Regenerative Medicine and Stem Cell Research, USC
Member, National Academy of Sciences
Anne-Marie Duliege, M.D.
Adjunct Clinical Assistant Professor of Pediatrics, Stanford University
Board Member & Former Chairperson, Global Strategies for HIV Prevention
Anthony Atala, M.D.
Professor of Urology and Regenerative Medicine
Antoni Ribas, M.D., Ph.D.
President, American Association for Cancer Research
Professor of Medicine & Surgery, UCLA
Arnold Kriegstein, M.D., Ph.D.
Director, Developmental and Stem Cell Biology, UCSF
Arun Sharma, Ph.D.
Senior Research Fellow, Cedars-Sinai
Forbes 30 Under 30 in Science
Aubrey de Grey, Ph.D.
Chief Science Officer, SENS Research Foundation
Camilla Forsberg, Ph.D.
Professor, Biomolecular Engineering, UC Santa Cruz
Carin Zimmerman, Ph.D.
Director, Stem Cell Technology Program, City College of San Francisco
Catriona Jamieson, M.D., Ph.D.
Director, Sanford Stem Cell Clinical Center
Deputy Director, Moores Cancer Center, UCSD
Charles K.F. Chan, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor of Plastic & Reconstructive Surgery, Stanford University
Charlene Smith, Ph.D.
Postdoctoral Scholar, UC Irvine
Claire Pomeroy, M.D.
President & CEO, Albert and Mary Lasker Foundation
NIH Advisory Committee on Research on Women’s Health
Clive Svendsen, Ph.D.
Director, Regenerative Medicine Institute, Cedars-Sinai
Dan Gincel, Ph.D.
VP University Partnership, TEDCO
Executive Director, Maryland Stem Cell Research Fund
Dan Gusfield, Ph.D.
Distinguished Professor of Computer Science, UC Davis
Dan Kaufman, M.D., Ph.D.
Professor of Medicine, UC San Diego
Daniel Kraft, M.D.
Chair, Medicine, Singularity University
David Brenner, M.D.
Vice Chancellor, Health Sciences, UC San Diego
Past President, Association of American Physicians
David Schaffer, Ph.D.
Director, Berkeley Stem Cell Center, UC Berkeley
David W. Martin, M.D.
Former Chief of Medical Genetics, UCSF
David Warburton, OBE, D.Sc., M.D.
Founding Director of Regenerative Medicine, Children’s Hospital Los Angeles
Professor of Pediatrics, Keck School of Medicine of USC
Deborah Deas, M.D., M.P.H.
Vice Chancellor for Health Sciences & Dean, UC Riverside School of Medicine
Debra Matityahu, M.D.
OB-GYN, Kaiser Medical Center, Redwood City
Executive Director & Co-Founder, Beyond Fistula
Deepak Srivastava, M.D.
President, Gladstone Institutes
Professor of Pediatrics, UCSF
Denard M. Fobbs, Sr., M.D.
Past President, Golden State Medical Association
Director, Fobbs LifePoint Institute for Women
Dennis Clegg, Ph.D.
Professor, Wilcox Family Chair in BioMedicine, UC Santa Barbara
Diana Azurdia, Ph.D.
Director for Recruitment and Inclusion, Graduate Programs in Bioscience, UCLA
Donald B. Kohn, M.D.
Distinguished Professor, Broad Stem Cell Research Center, UCLA
Dory Escobar, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor, University of San Francisco
Edward W. Holmes, M.D.
President & CEO, Sanford Consortium for Regenerative Medicine
Vice Chancellor/Dean Emeritus of Health Sciences, UCSD
Edwin Monuki, M.D., Ph.D.
Professor & Chair of Pathology, UC Irvine School of Medicine
Evan Y. Snyder, M.D., Ph.D.
Professor & Founding Director, Center for Stem Cells & Regenerative Medicine, Sanford Burnham Prebys Medical Discovery Institute
Francine Kaufman, M.D.
Distinguished Professor Emerita of Pediatrics & Communications, USC
Past President, American Diabetes Association
Francisco J. Prieto, M.D.
Associate Clinical Professor, UC Davis
Patient Advocate, Type I Diabetes
Franklin D. Niver, D.M.D.
Periodontist, Encino
Fred “Rusty” Gage, Ph.D.
President, Salk Institute for Biological Studies
Professor, Neuroscience, UCSD
Member, National Academy of Sciences
Gary L. Gitnick, M.D.
Professor of Medicine & Chief of the Division of Digestive Diseases, UCLA School of Medicine
Gay Crooks, M.D., M.B.B.S.
Professor, Pathology & Laboratory Medicine, UCLA
George Blumenthal, Ph.D.
Chancellor, UC Santa Cruz
George Carlson, Ph.D.
Professor, Neuroscience, UCSF
Hans Clevers, M.D., Ph.D.
Professor of Molecular Genetics
Helen Blau, Ph.D.
Professor, Microbiology & Immunology, Stanford University
Member, National Academy of Sciences
Henry J. Klassen, M.D., Ph.D.
Director, Stem Cell & Retinal Regeneration Program, UC Irvine
Hsin-ya Yang, Ph.D.
Project Scientist, UC Davis
Irene Lorenzo Llorente, Ph.D.
Assistant Research Professor, UCLA
Irving Weissman, M.D.
Director, Stanford Institute for Stem Cell Biology and Regenerative Medicine, Stanford University
Jacob Punnamkuzhyil, Ph.D.
Professor, Humboldt State University
Jan Nolta, Ph.D.
Director, Stem Cell Program, UC Davis School of Medicine
Jeannine Rahimian, M.D.
Associate Clinical Professor, Obstetrics & Gynecology, UCLA
Jeff Steindorf, Ph.D.
Vice President & Chief Operating Officer, Sanford Consortium for Regenerative Medicine
Johannes Schöneberg, Ph.D.
Postdoctoral Scholar, Molecular and Cell Biology Department, UC Berkeley
John A. Zaia, M.D.
Director, Center for Gene Therapy, City of Hope
Program Director, Alpha Stem Cell Clinic, City of Hope
John Reidling, Ph.D.
Project Scientist, Institute for Memory Impairments and Neurological Disorders, UC Irvine
Jonathan Thomas, Ph.D., J.D.
Chairman of the Board, California Institute for Regenerative Medicine
Chair of the ICOC, Governing Board
Joseph C. Wu, M.D., Ph.D.
Director, Stanford Cardiovascular Institute
Joseph Panetta, M.P.H.
President & CEO, Biocom
Joseph R. Ecker, Ph.D.
Director, Genomic Analysis Laboratory, Salk Institute for Biological Studies
Member, National Academy of Sciences
Judith A. Shizuru, M.D., Ph.D.
Professor, Medicine and Pediatrics, Stanford University
Judith C. Gasson, Ph.D.
Professor, Medicine & Biological Chemistry, UCLA
Director, UCLA Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center
Judith Campisi, Ph.D.
Professor, Buck Institute for Research on Aging
Member, National Academy of Sciences
Karen Aboody, M.D.
Professor, Developmental & Stem Cell Biology and Neurosurgery, City of Hope
Keith R. Yamamoto, Ph.D.
Professor, Cellular Molecular Pharmacology, UCSF
Vice Chancellor for Science Policy & Strategy, UCSF
Kelly A. Frazer, Ph.D.
Director, Institute for Genomic Medicine, UCSD
Kenneth C. Burtis, Ph.D.
Professor of Genetics, Faculty Advisor to the Chancellor & Provost, UC Davis
Kristiina Vuori, M.D., Ph.D.
President, Sanford Burnham Prebys Medical Discovery Institute
Kyle M. Loh, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor and Anthony DiGenova Endowed Faculty Scholar, Institute for Stem Cell Biology & Regenerative Medicine, Stanford University School of Medicine
Lana Zholudeva, Ph.D.
Research Associate, Gladstone Institutes
Lawrence Goldstein, Ph.D.
Distinguished Professor, Shiley-Marcos Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center, UC San Diego
Member, National Academy of Sciences
Lay Teng Ang, Ph.D.
Instructor, Institute for Stem Cell Biology and Regenerative Medicine, Stanford University
Leslie Thompson, Ph.D.
Chancellor’s Professor, Psychiatry & Human Behavior, UC Irvine School of Medicine
Lihua E. Budde, M.D., Ph.D.
Assistant Professor, Department of Hematology & Hematopoietic Cell Transplantation, City of Hope
Linda Malkas, Ph.D.
Professor & Associate Chair, Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, City of Hope
Lindsay Hink, Ph.D.
Professor, Molecular, Cell & Developmental Biology, UC Santa Cruz
Lindsey Skrdlant, Ph.D.
Process Development Scientist
Lori Muffly, M.D.
Assistant Professor of Medicine (Blood & Marrow Transplantation), Stanford University
Maher Abdel-Sattar, Pharm.D., M.S.
Consulting Pharmacist & UCSF alumnus
Maria Grazia Roncarolo, M.D.
Co-Director, Institute for Stem Cell Biology and Regenerative Medicine, Stanford University
Marianne E. Bronner, Ph.D.
Professor & Chair of Biology Department, Caltech
Member, National Academy of Sciences
Marion Kavanaugh-Lynch, M.D., MPH
Director, California Breast Cancer Research Program
Marissa Del Real, Ph.D.
Staff Scientist, City of Hope
Marius Wernig, M.D., Ph.D.
Associate Professor of Pathology, Stanford University
Martin Marsala, M.D.
Professor of Anesthesiology, UC San Diego
Matthias Hebrok, Ph.D.
Distinguished Professor & Diabetes Center Director, UCSF
Michael Pulsipher, M.D.
Professor of Pediatrics (Clinical Scholar), USC
Attending Physician, Hematology, Oncology and Transplantation, Children’s Hospital Los Angeles
Michelle Monje, M.D., Ph.D.
Associate Professor of Neurology, Stanford University
Mitra J. Hooshmand, Ph.D.
Adjunct Professor, UCLA
Nicole Bournias-Vardiabasis, Ph.D.
Professor, Department of Biology, California State University, San Bernardino
Olaia Fernandez Vila, Ph.D.
Postdoctoral Scientist, Gladstone Institute for Cardiovascular Research
Oliver T. Brooks, M.D.
President, National Medical Association
Chief Medical Officer, Watts Healthcare
Oswald Steward, Ph.D.
Distinguished Professor, Anatomy & Neurobiology, UC Irvine
Patient Advocate, Spinal Cord Injury
Owen Witte, M.D.
Founding Director, Broad Stem Cell Research Center, UCLA
Member, National Academy of Sciences
Pamela Freeman-Fobbs, J.D.
Former President, Auxiliary to the National Medical Association
Paul Knoepfler, Ph.D.
Professor, Cell Biology and Human Anatomy, UC Davis
Paula Cannon, Ph.D.
Distinguished Professor, Molecular Microbiology & Immunology, USC
Peter Coffey, Ph.D.
Co-Director, Center for Stem Cell Biology & Engineering, UC Santa Barbara
Peter Donovan, Ph.D.
Professor, Developmental and Cell Biology, UC Irvine
Peter Mackler
Executive Director of Healthcare Policy, City of Hope
Peyman Saadat, M.D.
Reproductive Endocrinologist, West Hollywood
Philip A. Pizzo, M.D.
Former Dean and Professor, Pediatrics, Microbiology and Immunology, Stanford University
Pradeep K. Khosla, Ph.D.
Chancellor, UC San Diego
Prue Talbot, Ph.D.
Professor of Cell Biology, UC Riverside
Ravi Majeti, M.D., Ph.D.
Professor of Medicine & Chief of the Division of Hematology, Stanford University
Raymond Barglow, Ph.D.
Founder, Berkeley Tutors Network
Reza Ardehali, M.D., Ph.D.
Associate Professor, Cardiology, UCLA
Robert A. Harrington, M.D.
Chairman, Department of Medicine, Stanford University
Past President, American Heart Association
Robert Del Vecchio, Ph.D.
Instructor, City College of San Francisco
Rodica Stan, Ph.D.
Staff Scientist, Center for Gene Therapy, City of Hope
Roeland Nusse, Ph.D.
Professor, Cancer Research & Developmental Biology, Stanford University
Member, National Academy of Sciences
Sarah R. Hernandez, Ph.D.
Postdoctoral Research Scholar, UC Irvine
Serah Kang, Ph.D.
Postdoctoral Fellow, Gladstone Institute for Cardiovascular Disease
Shlomo Melmed, MB, Ch.B
Executive Vice President of Academic Affairs, Dean of the Medical Faculty and Professor of Medicine, Cedars-Sinai
Professor & Associate Dean, UCLA School of Medicine
Shohreh Sabeti, DDS
Dentist, Sabeti Cosmetic Dentistry
Siddhartha Jaiswal, M.D., Ph.D.
Assistant Professor of Pathology, Stanford University
Sidney Golub, Ph.D.
Professor & Director Emeritus, UC Irvine Stem Cell Research Center
Tamara Roach, Ph.D.
Research Specialist, UCSF
Todd C. McDevitt, Ph.D.
Senior Investigator, Gladstone Institutes
Professor, Departments of Bioengineering and Therapeutic Sciences, UCSF
Tracy Grikscheit, M.D.
Chief of Pediatric Surgery, Children’s Hospital Los Angeles
Wen-Chung Chang, Ph.D.
Staff Scientist, City of Hope
William Lowry, Ph.D.
Professor, Molecular, Cell and Developmental Biology, UCLA
Wise Young, M.D., Ph.D.
Founding Director, W.M. Keck Center for Collaborative Neuroscience, Rutgers University
Zhiqiang (Daniel) Wang, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor of Cancer Biology, City of Hope
Zinat Choudhury, M.D.
Family Medicine Physician
Don C. Reed is the author of “CALIFORNIA CURES” and other books on stem cell research.