ICOC Ratifies Key Policies For CIRM-Funded Research; Members Unanimously Approve CIRM Regulations and Intellectual Property Policy.

STANFORD, Calif. -- The Independent Citizens' Oversight Committee (ICOC) today ratified two key policies for research funded by the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine (CIRM): the CIRM Regulations for ethical, medical and scientific accountability and the Intellectual Property (IP) Policy for Non-Profit Organizations. These policies were recommended by the Standards Working Group and IP Task Force after months of deliberations.

Developed with input from the California public and state legislature, the policies include provisions that enhance and surpass federal and state guidelines for scientific standards and intellectual property.

"These policies are representative of the ICOC's commitment to ensuring that CIRM-funded research is conducted under the highest levels of public oversight and transparency," ICOC Chairman Robert Klein said. "The working group and task force members went above and beyond the gold standards recommended by the National Academies to enhance those standards and policies, reflecting the leadership of California in protecting patients and advancing scientific research."

"The CIRM Regulations and IP Policy provide CIRM with a strong foundation to carry out its mission of funding stem cell research in California," CIRM President Zach Hall, PhD, said. "With the approval of these policies, CIRM has the most stringent ethical, medical and scientific standards in the country."

CIRM is now the first agency in the United States to require specialized review by a Stem Cell Research Oversight (SCRO) committee and to provide for medical costs resulting from any immediate complications of egg retrieval. It also enhances state and federal policies in the areas of voluntary-informed consent and guarantees that all cell lines used by CIRM-funded researchers are derived without compensation to egg donors. The regulations were developed under the guidance of the Standards Working Group, which is comprised of nine nationally recognized scientists, four ethicists and five ICOC patient advocates. To view the full text of the regulations online, please visit: http://www.cirm.ca.gov/meetings/pdf/2006/02/021006_item_9.pdf.

The IP Policy for Non-Profit Organizations also sets a high bar for CIRM, surpassing the federal statute on the sharing of data and biomedical materials and allowing California research institutions to freely use all CIRM-funded patented inventions. Written by the 11-member IP Task Force, this subcommittee held four public meetings and twice reported to the ICOC with their findings. The full text of the IP Policy is available at: http://www.cirm.ca.gov/meetings/pdf/2006/02/021006_item_8.pdf.

In developing the CIRM Regulations and IP Policy for Non-Profit Organizations, multiple public hearings and meetings were held throughout California to gather input and incorporate public feedback into the final recommendations. Members of the California State Legislature personally contributed recommendations that included in the final policies.

With the ICOC's approval, these policies will now enter into the formal rule-making process governed by the Administrative Procedures Act and have the force of California law.

About CIRM

CIRM was established in 2004 with the passage of Proposition 71, the California Stem Cell Research and Cures Initiative. The institute is responsible for disbursing $3 billion in State funds for stem cell research to California universities and research institutions over the next ten years and is overseen and governed by the Independent Citizens Oversight Committee (ICOC). For more information, please visit CIRM's Web site at www.cirm.ca.gov.