Assemblymember Nancy Skinner Announces New Access to Scientific Advancements at Stem Cell Institute

"To help in the search for cures to cancer, multiple sclerosis, diabetes, and other diseases, California voters in 2004 established the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine – also known as CIRM. Proposition 71, the initiative creating CIRM, passed with over 59% of the vote. The initiative authorized $3 billion in public funding to advance our understanding of stem cells....Since its passage, scientists at academic institutions and industries have used CIRM’s funding and published their results in prestigious peer-reviewed publications. They brought the promise and the potential benefits of stem cell therapies closer—however, they kept the information far from the public. To solve this problem, I discussed with the CIRM governing board my intentions to bring forward legislation to make their groundbreaking research public. I am pleased that on March 21st, the CIRM board unanimously voted to develop an open access policy....The proposal for CIRM’s new policy mirrors the NIH’s open access policy, and even if it’s a bit overdue, it’s a good step toward transparency and will make CIRM-funded research even more valuable to the people of California...."