CGS-authored
Greg Wasson isn't the typical lobbyist for a California bond initiative.
For the past nine years, Parkinson's disease has crept through Wasson's brain, killing off neurotransmitter cells that signal his muscles to move. Walking, speaking, even brushing his teeth and turning over in bed have grown increasingly difficult for the 52-year-old former lawyer.
Nevertheless, Wasson has been traveling around the state, trying to rally support for Proposition 71, a state bond initiative that would make $3 billion available for stem-cell research over the next 10 years. That's about $295 million a year for a controversial area of science that is still in its infancy but eventually could yield untold medical miracles, such as the ability to replace brain cells destroyed by Parkinson's.
The initiative came about after President Bush in 2001 restricted federal funding for certain types of stem-cell work. If the measure passes, the state's funding would dwarf the federal government's investment in stem-cell research, which totaled $25 million last year. And it could put California in the vanguard of a hot new field of science.
Stem cells have...
For the past nine years, Parkinson's disease has crept through Wasson's brain, killing off neurotransmitter cells that signal his muscles to move. Walking, speaking, even brushing his teeth and turning over in bed have grown increasingly difficult for the 52-year-old former lawyer.
Nevertheless, Wasson has been traveling around the state, trying to rally support for Proposition 71, a state bond initiative that would make $3 billion available for stem-cell research over the next 10 years. That's about $295 million a year for a controversial area of science that is still in its infancy but eventually could yield untold medical miracles, such as the ability to replace brain cells destroyed by Parkinson's.
The initiative came about after President Bush in 2001 restricted federal funding for certain types of stem-cell work. If the measure passes, the state's funding would dwarf the federal government's investment in stem-cell research, which totaled $25 million last year. And it could put California in the vanguard of a hot new field of science.
Stem cells have...