Call for head of stem cell institute to resign

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...