Delivering Revolutionary Cell/Gene Therapies to the Underserved, Creating More Accessibility
By David Jensen,
The California Stem Cell Report
| 04. 24. 2023
What good is a “miraculous” cure or a revolutionary therapy -- which is the goal of a $12 billion state of California enterprise -- if it is not accessible to patients?
That’s a question implicitly posed by a former member of the governing board of that enterprise, the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine (CIRM), more commonly known as the stem cell agency. And he had an answer to the question and a suggestion for the state program.
The remarks come from Jeff Sheehy, who served on the board for 16 years beginning in 2004, the year CIRM was created. He sent the California Stem Cell Report a note after the publication of an article about CIRM’s $80 million effort to create a public-private manufacturing network to overcome obstacles to the production of stem cell and related therapies.
Sheehy spoke to the lack of availability of advanced medical care in underserved areas of California, many of which are rural and remote from the centers where cell and genetic treatments can be done. He proposed that CIRM develop a “capacity...
Related Articles
By Annika Inampudi, Science | 08.01.2025
In June, Sara* received a message asking whether she wanted to continue to participate in a massive, multicenter research project led by scientists at Aarhus University in Denmark. The iPsych study, the message said, had sequenced her genetic data from...
The Center for Genetics and Society is delighted to recommend the current edition of GMWatch Review – Number 589. UK-based GMWatch, a long-standing ally, was founded in 1998 by Jonathan Matthews as an independent organization seeking to counter the enormous corporate political power and propaganda of the GMO industry and its supporters. Matthews and Claire Robinson are its directors and managing editors.
CGS works to ensure that social justice, equity, human rights, and democratic governance are front...
By Katherine Drabiak, Journal of Medical Ethics Forum | 08.07.2025
Adapted from Mitochondrial DNA at
National Human Genome Research Institute
Recently, media outlets around the world have been reporting on children born from pronuclear genome transfer (sometimes called “3-parent IVF,” “mitochondrial donation” or “mitochondrial replacement therapy”) at Newcastle Fertility Center...
By Annika Inampudi, Science | 07.10.2025
Before a baby in the United States reaches a few days old, doctors will run biochemical tests on a few drops of their blood to catch certain genetic diseases that need immediate care to prevent brain damage or other serious...