CIRM is the $US 3 billion stem cell initiative that was founded by Proposition 71 in 2004 by the State of California. These funds have been used to establish the institutional and intellectual infrastructure that has resulted more than 1300 publications (27% in high impact factor journals), 12 new stem cell institutes and a wave of new investigators from within and from outside California, moving into stem cell science and translational medicine. CIRM has established 23 national and international collaborative funding agreements now involving 27 projects and >$75M from the collaborating partners.
The basic research program has led to transformational discoveries such as the establishment of “disease in the dish” models of human disease; the direct transdifferentiation of adult cells in vitro and in vivo; repurposing tumor suppressor genes for regeneration; determination of gene regulatory mechanisms and robust pathways in differentiation and maturation of cell function; and discoveries in many other new areas of biology and medicine. CIRM has also in initiated the formation of academic-indusrty research teams focused on translational medicine to prepare the way for clinical trials for a wide variety of diseases and injuries. These include treatment for macular degeneration (loss of central vision); type I diabetes; stroke; targeting cancer stem cells in; gliobastoma, leukaemias, solid tumors; cure for HIV/AIDS; and correction of genetic diseases such as sickle cell disease, β thalassemia and epidermolysis bullosa. CIRM is establishing a major new center of excellence in genomics/stem cell biology to transform genetics in stem cell medicine and biology and will be creating a major network of alpha new stem cell clinics in California to deliver clinical benefits to patients7 in the next 2 years.