CGS-authored
Stem cell therapies may one day provide cures for spinal chord injuries, heart damage and other serious medical conditions. For years, the biotech company Geron led the way in private research in this field. But the California-based company says it will shut down its stem cell division to focus on cancer therapies. Officials at Geron call the decision a calculated business move.
The announcement by Menlo-park based Geron Corporation surprised and disappointed many in California's burgeoning stem cell field. Among them, officials at the state agency that financially supported the Geron's research into an embryonic stem cell treatment for spinal cord injuries.
"We were definitely not expecting it obviously, very disappointed for the millions of people living with spinal cord injuries who look to the Geron trials as a sign of hope for future therapy," says Jonathan Thomas. He is director of the California Institute of Regenerative Medicine, created in 2004 when voters approved Proposition 71. The state agency is charged with investing three billion public dollars for stem cell research in California at universities and at private firms like...
The announcement by Menlo-park based Geron Corporation surprised and disappointed many in California's burgeoning stem cell field. Among them, officials at the state agency that financially supported the Geron's research into an embryonic stem cell treatment for spinal cord injuries.
"We were definitely not expecting it obviously, very disappointed for the millions of people living with spinal cord injuries who look to the Geron trials as a sign of hope for future therapy," says Jonathan Thomas. He is director of the California Institute of Regenerative Medicine, created in 2004 when voters approved Proposition 71. The state agency is charged with investing three billion public dollars for stem cell research in California at universities and at private firms like...