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BAY AREA Call for head of stem cell institute to resign Biotech watchdog says Prop. 71 agency needs a fresh start - Carl T. Hall, Chronicle Science Writer Thursday, January 19, 2006 An East Bay biotechnology watchdog group on Wednesday called for the resignation of Robert Klein, chairman of the Proposition 71 stem cell agency known as the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine. Jesse Reynolds, stem cell specialist at the group, the Center for Genetics and Society, said the Prop. 71 enterprise needs a fresh start after a year in business, even though the institute has been mired in litigation that has blocked its ability to distribute grant money into stem cell research. Klein said through a spokeswoman that he intended to stay. The Oakland advocacy group gave the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine an overall grade of "C-minus" in a 32-page report examining how Prop. 71 has been implemented. Most of the critique covered familiar complaints about inadequate governance and the need for more health protections for women who may be recruited as stem cell research subjects. Klein, a Stanford-educated lawyer and real estate developer, drafted the proposition and led the 2004 election campaign after he became convinced that California needed to advance stem cell research to cure common diseases. Prop. 71 outlines a $3 billion, 10-year, grant-making effort. Stem cells are the template cells that can self-renew in their primitive state or differentiate into the various cell types of the body. Federal grants for human embryonic stem cell research are sharply restricted under policies of the Bush administration. Klein has been faulted for overly hyping the promise of an early-stage science. He's also faced criticism for confusing voters as to some of the technical and financial details of Prop. 71, and the likelihood that it will produce financial returns anytime soon. By serving as chairman, Klein has "prolonged the promotional phase" and delayed effective implementation of the state ballot measure, Reynolds said during a conference call Wednesday with reporters. Separately, John Simpson, stem cell project director at another advocacy group, the Foundation for Taxpayer and Consumer Rights, said it would be a mistake to focus too much attention on Klein's leadership. "I certainly understand the public outrage that led to the call for Bob Klein to step down, but the stem cell institute's problems go beyond personalities," Simpson said. "We'll just have a revolving door of Bob Kleins until the structure is fixed." Simpson's group is releasing recommendations next week on intellectual property rules, proposing that companies that go to market with their Prop. 71-financed research return a portion of their profits to the state. The state would use that money to subsidize stem cell treatments to lower-income Californians. Both advocacy groups maintain that the stem cell effort needs to operate more as a typical state agency, by expanding public oversight and adopting stricter policies against conflicts of interest. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- To sign-off Parkinsn send a message to: mailto:[log in to unmask] In the body of the message put: signoff parkinsn