CGS-authored
Speaking of conflicts, there have been some disturbing developments recently at the two big cash boxes of biomedical research - the National Institutes of Health and California's stem-cell research institute.
In California, the institute's oversight committee, as expected, approved some weak conflict-of-interest rules at its last meeting. These rules will inevitably result in embarrassing disclosures as the institute doles out $3 billion over 10 years. (Expect to see the words "stem scandals" in future headlines.)
Institute employees, for instance, will be allowed to own large holdings of biomedical stock and trade that stock even as they administer research that is likely to be licensed one day by those companies.
Even worse are the non-rules the committee approved for its advisers. These out-of-state scientists, who will make key recommendations on what grants to finance here in California, will not have to disclose their stock holdings or corporate relationships. As a result, the institute's staff will have no way to police any moonlighting by these grant reviewers.
In defending this, stem-cell czar Robert Klein II seems to be cherry-picking policies. Klein argues...
In California, the institute's oversight committee, as expected, approved some weak conflict-of-interest rules at its last meeting. These rules will inevitably result in embarrassing disclosures as the institute doles out $3 billion over 10 years. (Expect to see the words "stem scandals" in future headlines.)
Institute employees, for instance, will be allowed to own large holdings of biomedical stock and trade that stock even as they administer research that is likely to be licensed one day by those companies.
Even worse are the non-rules the committee approved for its advisers. These out-of-state scientists, who will make key recommendations on what grants to finance here in California, will not have to disclose their stock holdings or corporate relationships. As a result, the institute's staff will have no way to police any moonlighting by these grant reviewers.
In defending this, stem-cell czar Robert Klein II seems to be cherry-picking policies. Klein argues...