California’s Stem Cell Gold Rush | WBUR and NPR

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Thursday, December 23, 2004 at 10:00 AM EST

California’s Stem Cell Gold Rush

With the passage of Proposition 71, California’s three-billion-dollar stem-cell venture creates an independent West Coast “mini-NIH” as a work-around to President Bush’s barring the use of federal money for embryonic stem cell research.

The infusion of cash is a boon to researchers and venture capitalists who see stem cell research as the beginning of a range of therapies and possibly even cures for such degenerative diseases as Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s.

Now states with strong biotech centers — Wisconsin, New Jersey, and Texas — are responding to California’s high-stakes stem cell gamble with funding and legislation of their own in a scramble to compete.

Tune in to hear experts weigh in on the prospects for California’s stem cell gold rush.

Guests:

Carl Hall, science writer, The San Francisco Chronicle

Keith Yamamoto, executive vice dean for UCSF School of Medicine and science advisor for Proposition 71, the California Stem Cell Research and Cures Initiative

Wise Young, stem cell researcher and director of cell biology and neuroscience, Rutgers University

Dr. James Willerson, stem cell researcher, cardiologist, and president of the University of Texas Health Science Center

Mark Hessen, president, National Venture Capitalist Association.

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