Should California Invest Another $5.5 Billion Into Stem Cell Research?

Posted February 18, 2020

External Article: Long Beach Business Journal

Aaron Levine, associate professor in the School of Public Policy, was quoted in the article "Should California invest another $5.5 Billion Into Stem Cell Research?" in the Long Beach Business Journal on Feb. 17, 2020. 

The article looked at the issues surrounding a potential ballot measure in California's general election this year that could put $5.5 billion of state funds towards stem cell research to make up for federal funding shortfalls. Levine has studied the program that had the state to put $3 billion towards research in 2004 and spoke on its effects and future possibilities.

Excerpt:

Dr. Aaron Levine, an associate professor at the School of Public Policy at Georgia Tech, has focused primarily on the intersection between public policy and bioethics. In this context, Levine has followed and reviewed California’s stem cell program for years, and he agreed that its impact has been transformative.

“CIRM stepped in to fill a gap when the National Institutes of Health was restricting its funding in this space,” Levine said. “The research that CIRM has supported, as well as the training programs, has had quite a big impact on the field.”

But Levine also pointed to what he described as “missed opportunities,” as the program enters its bid for renewal. One example is the new proposal’s requirement to commit a certain percentage of funds to finding cures for specific diseases, such as Alzheimers and other neurological disorders. 

Read the full article here.