How Breast Cancer Usurps the Powers of Mammary Stem Cells

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Newswise During pregnancy, certain hormones trigger specialized mammary stem cells to create milk-producing cells essential to lactation. Scientists at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine and Moores Cancer Center have found that mammary stem cells associated with the pregnant mammary gland are related to stem cells found in breast cancer.

Writing in the August 11, 2014 issue of Developmental Cell, David A. Cheresh, PhD, Distinguished Professor of Pathology and vice-chair for research and development, Jay Desgrosellier, PhD, assistant professor of pathology and colleagues specifically identified a key molecular pathway associated with aggressive breast cancers that is also required for mammary stem cells to promote lactation development during pregnancy.

By understanding a fundamental mechanism of mammary gland development during pregnancy, we have gained a rare insight into how aggressive breast cancer might be treated, said Cheresh. This pathway can be exploited. Certain drugs are known to disrupt this pathway and may interfere with the process of breast cancer progression.

During pregnancy, a new mammary stem cell population arises, distinct from those involved in development and maintenance of the non-pregnant gland. These stem cells remodel the breasts and lactating glands in preparation for feeding the newborn child. Normally, these stem cells contribute only to early remodeling events and are switched off by the time milk production begins.

The researchers found, however, that signals regulating stem cell activation during pregnancy appear to be hijacked by cancer cells to produce faster-growing, more aggressive tumors. This normal pathway ends up contributing to the progression of cancer, said Desgrosellier, first author of the study.

A connection between pregnancy and breast cancer has long been known. But the association between pregnancy and breast cancer risk is complex. While having a child reduces a womans risk of developing breast cancer later in life, there is also an increased short-term risk for the development of a highly aggressive form of breast cancer following each pregnancy. The current study suggests that molecules important for stem cell behavior during pregnancy may contribute to these more aggressive pregnancy-associated breast cancers, a possibility the researchers plan to investigate further.

The authors are quick to point out that their findings should not be interpreted as a reason to avoid pregnancy. The signaling pathway usurped by cancer cells is not the cause of breast cancer. Rather, they said, it may worsen or accelerate a cancer caused by other factors, such as an underlying mutation or genetic predisposition.

Our work doesnt speak to the actual cause of cancer. Rather, it explains what can happen once cancer has been initiated, said Cheresh. Heres an analogy: To get cancer, you first have to start with an oncogene, a gene that carries a mutation and has the potential to initiate cancer. Think of the oncogene as turning on a cars ignition. The signaling pathway exploited by cancer cells is like applying gas. It gets the car moving, but it means nothing if the oncogene hasnt first started the process.

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STAP stem cell controversy ends in suicide for Japanese scientist

A Japanese scientist who played an instrumental role in two discredited studies about a new type of stem cells hanged himself at his research institute in Kobe, according to media reports there.

Yoshiki Sasai, a deputy director of the RIKEN Center for Developmental Biology, left behind five apparent suicide notes, Japan Times reported Tuesday.

I am overcome with grief at this terrible news, RIKEN President Ryoji Noyori said in a statement released Tuesday. The scientific world has lost a talented and dedicated researcher, who earned our deep respect for the advanced research he carried out over many years. I would like to express my deepest condolences to Dr. Sasais family and colleagues.

Sasai was a coauthor on two papers published in Nature that purported to offer a quick and simple way of making highly versatile stem cells. Instead of destroying embryos or tinkering with their DNA, the scientists said they produced their flexible cells by stressing them out in an acid bath for 30 minutes and then spinning them in a centrifuge for 5 minutes.

At first, scientists hailed the creation of the so-called stimulus-triggered acquisition of pluripotency, or STAP, stem cells. But within days, serious questions arose about the researchers methods, leading to a RIKEN investigation that found several instances of scientific misconduct on that part of study leader Haruko Obokata, a rising scientist at RIKEN.

Both studies were retracted in July.

Sasai was Obokatas supervisor and was supposed to oversee her writing, Japan Times reported. RIKEN faulted Sasai for failing to check the data used in the study and for providing weak oversight that allowed Obokata to submit a manuscript with manipulated images and other serious problems.

"Research misconduct occurred due to a young researcher's lack of experience and awareness of the importance of research ethics, the lack of leadership among researchers to help her, and a lack of mutual verification among groups," Noyori said when RIKEN announced the results of its investigation in April.

Sasai appeared to take these criticisms to heart. He offered a very contrite statement when the studies were retracted.

As a researcher, I am deeply ashamed of the fact that two papers of which I was an author were found to contain multiple errors and, as a result, had to be retracted, he wrote. I also deeply regret the fact that as a coauthor, I was not able to identify these errors beforehand and to exercise my leadership to prevent this regrettable situation, including misconduct, from occurring. I apologize wholeheartedly for the confusion and disappointment that this situation has caused.

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STAP stem cell controversy ends in suicide for Japanese scientist

Disgraced Japanese stem cell scientist found dead

Suspected suicide: Yoshiki Sasai in April. Photo: AFP

Tokyo: A renowned Japanese stem cell scientist who co-wrote research that was later retracted in an embarrassing scandal has been found dead, police say.

The body of Yoshiki Sasai, 52, was discovered hanging inside the stairwell of a building that houses the Riken Centre for Developmental Biology, one of the country's most prestigious scientific research institutions.

The office is in the western city of Kobe.

Haruko Obokata, who was mentored by Yoshiki Sasai. Dr Obokata's research on stem cells published in Nature was found to have been falsified. Photo: AP/Kyodo News

"Yoshiki Sasai was discovered hanging on Tuesday morning inside one of Riken's research buildings and, after being sent to hospital, he was confirmed dead at 11.03am," a spokesman for the Hyogo Prefectural police said.

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"Police are investigating the case as a suspected suicide."

He added that authorities discovered "farewell notes" that Dr Sasai had left behind, with public broadcaster NHK reporting that one was left for Haruko Obokata.

Dr Sasai mentored Dr Obokata, whose study earlier this year was hailed as a "game-changer" in the quest to grow transplant tissue in the laboratory.

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Aging Immune System May Get Kick-Start from Discovery of Molecular Defect

Health and Medicine for Seniors

Aging Immune System May Get Kick-Start from Discovery of Molecular Defect

Old stem cells are not just sitting there with damaged DNA ready to develop cancer, as it has long been postulated

"The decline of stem-cell function is a big part of age-related problems. Achieving longer lives relies in part on achieving a better understanding of why stem cells are not able to maintain optimal functioning."

Emmanuelle Passegu, PhD

July 31, 2014 - There's a good reason seniors over 60 are not donor candidates for bone marrow transplantation. The immune system ages and weakens with time, making the elderly prone to life-threatening infection and other maladies, and a UC San Francisco research team now has discovered a reason why.

"We have found the cellular mechanism responsible for the inability of blood-forming cells to maintain blood production over time in an old organism, and have identified molecular defects that could be restored for rejuvenation therapies," said Emmanuelle Passegu, PhD, a professor of medicine and a member of the Eli and Edythe Broad Center of Regeneration Medicine and Stem Cell Research at UCSF.

Passegu, an expert on the stem cells that give rise to the blood and immune system, led a team that published the new findings online July 30, 2014 in the journal Nature.

Blood and immune cells are short-lived, and unlike most tissues, must be constantly replenished. The cells that must keep producing them throughout a lifetime are called "hematopoietic stem cells."

Through cycles of cell division these stem cells preserve their own numbers and generate the daughter cells that give rise to replacement blood and immune cells. But the hematopoietic stem cells falter with age, because they lose the ability to replicate their DNA accurately and efficiently during cell division, Passegu's lab team determined.

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Stem cell treatment used by Chris Johnson, hundreds of NFL …

New JetChris Johnson had stem cells from his bone marrow reinjected into his knee to augment Januarysurgery for a torn meniscus. The hope is that it wouldboost healingand perhaps rebuild cartilage. (AP)

Hes 28. He has five 1,000-yard NFL rushing seasons to his name, one 2,000-yarder and a burning desire to prove hes the same speedster hes always been. So when Chris Johnson visited orthopedic surgeon James Andrews in January to fix his ailing left knee, he liked the sound of two intriguing words: Stem cells.

The veteran running back tore the meniscus in that knee in Week 3 of the 2013 seasonhis last with the Titans before being cutbut never missed a game. The injury to the knees natural shock absorber also caused other damage in the joint, and Andrews presented an option that might augment what surgery alone could do. The plan: Take stem cells, the bodys universal building blocks, and deliver them directly to the construction site.

When I tore my meniscus and played the season out, through the wear and tear, I lost a lot of cartilage, says Johnson, who was signed by the Jets to bring explosiveness to their offense. When you put the stem cells in, it might be able to help rebuild that cartilage in your knee. Hopefully, it makes your knee better for even more years.

On the day of his surgery at the Andrews Institute in Gulf Breeze, Fla., Johnson had a small amount of his bone marrow60 milliliters, or the volume of a shot glasssiphoned out of the iliac crest of his pelvis with a long needle pushed through a tiny incision in his skin. Less than an hour later, at the end of the arthroscopic procedure to repair his meniscus, a concentrate of thousands of stem cells from the bone marrow was injected directly into Johnsons knee joint.

Instead of the usual four-to-six-week recovery time from the scope, Johnson stayed off the practice field for the rest of the offseason, giving the stem-cell treatment maximum time to work. At the least, stem cells are a powerful anti-inflammatory. But the hope is they may also play a role in boosting the healing of injured tissues, including stubborn ones like the meniscus, which lacks a robust blood supply, or cartilage, which has long been irreplaceable.

Stem cells are far from mainstreamNFL teams will often not pick up the bill, and the overseas market for treatments not approved in the U.S. makes the whole field seem somewhat taboo.

Johnson is one of hundredsyes, hundredsof NFL players who have invested in the promise of stem cells in the past few years. Peyton Manning reportedly tried a stem-cell treatment in Europe in 2011, his final year with the Colts, to fast-track his recovery from neck surgery. Giants cornerback Prince Amukamara had a slow-healing broken metatarsal treated with stem cells by a foot specialist in North Carolina after his teams Super Bowl XLVI run. One NFL linebacker paid $6,000 a pop for a 1-milliliter vial of donated placenta tissue containing stem cells to be injected into each of his beat-up knees this offseasonbut asked for his name not to be used in this story because he didnt tell his teams medical staff.

Such treatment is more common than you might realize among NFL players (hundreds of players across 32 teams averages to at least six players per team), but its also far from mainstream. Stem cells are still somewhat in the shadowsevidence of their usefulness in treating athletes injuries is so far largely anecdotal, NFL teams often will not pick up the bill for players, and the overseas market for treatments not approved in the U.S. makes the whole field seem somewhat taboo.

Theres a push to change that, though, and Andrews is an important figure at the forefront. His group is currently building a laboratory at its Florida facility specifically dedicated to biologicsthe term refers to substances that are produced in living systems such as humans, animals and microorganisms, rather than manufactured like drugsto be able to offer their star-studded clientele more of these treatments more effectively in the U.S. The agenda includes a research study with retired NFL players on how well stem cells work in treating arthritis of the knee; a trial of a Malaysian technique for regenerating cartilage by using stem cells from the blood after microfracture surgery; and exploring whether torn ACL tissue can be repurposed to help the new ligament graft heal more quickly.

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Regenerative Medicine Solutions – Home – Stem Cell …

Regenerative Medicine Solutions (RMS) is a leading global provider of Stem Cell Treatments, Platelet-Rich Plasma (PRP), Natural Growth Factors and other innovative regenerative medical technologies,for the treatment of an array of debilitating medical conditions. Through our individualized, patient-centric approach, we are providing the highest quality of care and consistent positive outcomes. By applying todays best practices to the growing field of regenerative medicine RMS is changing lives.

RMS is results-driven, having positively improved the quality of life for hundreds of patients. At RMS, the safety of every patient is our top priority. All of the procedures performed at RMSs state-of-the-art clinics are in compliance with the highest standards of safety. The quality of care provided by our team of medical experts is unsurpassed in the industry.

RMS is sensitive to the distressing nature of our patients conditions, therefore our focus is to provide them with a superior level of personalized care and to make them comfortable throughout the entire treatment process. Supported by ground breaking developments in clinical science and stem cell therapy, RMS is welcoming the future of medicine through the application of our innovative regenerative technologies.

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Lung Institutes Medical Director Celebrates 55th Anniversary in Medical Practice

Tampa, FL (PRWEB) July 29, 2014

This month marks a milestone for the Lung Institutes Medical Director, Dr. Burton Feinerman, as he celebrates his 55th anniversary in the medical field. Practicing medicine for over half a century, Dr. Feinerman has distinguished himself as a world-renowned physician in the field of regenerative medicine with the development of innovative stem cell treatments for lung diseases like chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).

Dr. Feinermans medical career has been punctuated by many firsts. In the 1950s and 1960s, Dr. Feinerman was the owner of Opa-Locka General Hospital, the only private hospital accepting African Americans in Miami, Florida. He also set up the first Pediatric Emergency Rooms in South Florida at Parkway Hospital and Miami General Hospital.

The Lung Institutes medical director was also involved with the first successful allogeneic (genetically dissimilar) bone marrow transplant performed on a 10-month-old child with severe combined/immunodeficiency, known as bubble baby. This patient, who was given a very poor prognosis of life expectancy, is now 36-years-old and a high school teacher. In 1998, Dr. Feinerman set up the first medical service website site, Webmedicalservices.com, to directly answer patient questions, which later became a public company.

It was during his time in Hawaii as the first physician to offer cosmetic dermatology and anti-aging medicine that Dr. Feinerman initially became interested in stem cells. Over subsequent years, he developed stem cell patents for a variety of disorders including Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS), Parkinsons, Alzheimers, multiple sclerosis, autism, cerebral palsy, COPD, pulmonary fibrosis, diabetes types 1 and 2, end-stage kidney disease and brain damage in children and adults. He also developed patents for gene therapies to treat such conditions as Tay-Sachs, Sandhoff disease, Huntingtons disease and metachromatic leukodystrophy.

Dr. Feinermans stem cell quest continues at Regenerative Medicine Solutions and Lung Institute, with his current research aimed at conquering neurological and chronic lung diseases as well as diseases causing blindness such as age-related macular degeneration, retinitis pigmentosa, and stargardts disease.

I am humbled at the acknowledgement of my role as a catalyst for change in medicine, confessed Dr. Feinerman who was honored last year as Lifetime Achievement Award finalist for the Tampa Bay Business Journals Healthcare Heroes. When I reflect back on my medical career, I only see my patients.

About the Lung Institute At the Lung Institute, we are changing the lives of hundreds of people across the nation through the innovative technology of regenerative medicine. We are committed to providing patients a more effective way to address pulmonary conditions and improve quality of life. Our physicians, through their designated practices, have gained worldwide recognition for the successful application of revolutionary minimally invasive stem cell therapies. With over a century of combined medical experience, our doctors have established a patient experience designed with the highest concern for patient safety and quality of care. For more information, visit our website at LungInstitute.com, like us on Facebook, follow us on Twitter or call us today at (855) 469-5864.

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Regenerative Medicine Market: Global Industry Analysis, Size, Share, Growth, Trends and Forecast 2013 – 2019

(PRWEB) July 28, 2014

According to a new market research report published by Transparency Market Research "Regenerative Medicine (Bone and Joint) Market (By Technology - Stem Cell Therapy, Biomaterial and Tissue Engineering; By Applications - Bone Graft Substitutes, Osteoarticular Diseases, Allogeneic Products, Autogenic Products and Others) - Global Industry Analysis, Size, Share, Growth, Trends and Forecast, 2013 - 2019" the global regenerative medicine (bone and joint) market was valued at USD 2.6 billion in 2012 and is estimated to reach a market worth of USD 6.5 billion in 2019 growing at a CAGR of 12.8% from 2013 to 2019.

Regenerative medicine is considered as an emerging field of medical science that aims to regenerate, repair or replace damaged tissue and organs. U.S. National Institute of Health stated that regenerative medicine is the process of creating functional tissue to repair and replace tissue or organ which has lost their function due to damage, congenital defects, disease and age. Technological advancement in tissue engineering and stem cell therapy is expected to drive the global market for regenerative medicine (bone and joint). Moreover, growing prevalence of bone and joint disorder has also accounted for the market growth of the global regenerative medicine (bone and joint) market. However, ethical issues pertaining to stem cell therapy and fear of disease transmission due to allogeneic bone implantation are considered as market hindering factors during the study period. Companies operating in this market focus on investing in emerging economies of Asia-Pacific such as India, China, Japan and South Korea. These economies represent huge potential for various bone and joint reconstructive products due to rising healthcare expenditure and presence of large patient pool suffering from arthritis disorder (rheumatoid arthritis).

Title: Regenerative Medicine (Bone and Joint) Market Published: 1 July 2014 Pages: 85 Price: US$ 4,795.00 (Single User) For further inquiries, click here: http://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/sample/sample.php?flag=S&rep_id=419.

The global market for regenerative medicine is segmented based on technology as stem cell therapy, biomaterials and tissue engineering. In 2012, biomaterials segment accounted for the largest market share in the global regenerative medicine (bone and joint) market owing to favorable reimbursement policies and strong demand of biomaterials in the global market. However, high cost associated with biomaterials is a factor that would restrict the global market demand to some extent during the study period.

In addition, based on applications the global market for regenerative medicine (bone and joint) is segmented as bone graft substitute, osteoarticular diseases, allergenic bones, autogenic bones and others. In 2012, bone graft substitute segment accounted for the largest market share in the global regenerative medicine bone and joint application market owing to growing demand of bone graft substitute in orthopaedic surgeries. However, post implantation rejection associated with bone graft substitute is considered as a crucial factor that would restrict the global market demand of bone graft substitute.

Browse the Press Release of Regenerative Medicine Market @ http://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/pressrelease/regenerative-medicines-market.htm

On the basis of geography, the regenerative medicine (bone and joint) market is segmented as North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific and Rest of the World (RoW). North America accounted for the largest market share for regenerative medicine (bone and joint) globally in 2012 owing to increase in orthopaedic re-constructive surgeries and introduction of technologically advanced medical devices and products. According to the American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons (AAOS), prevalence of Lumbar Spinal Stenosis (LSS) is increasing with rise in elderly population and is estimated that approximately 2.4 million Americans would be affected by LSS by 2021. It has also stated that in 1990 approximately 129,000 Total Knee Arthroplasty (TKA) surgeries were performed in the U.S. Europe accounted for the second largest share in the global regenerative medicine (bone and joint) market in 2012.

Large geriatric population base is one of the important factors driving the growth of regenerative medicine bone and joint application market in this region. Asia-Pacific is expected to grow at the highest CAGR from 2013 to 2019, due to large pool of potential reconstructive surgery patients and strong support from federal government. Additionally, companies are expecting large revenue with sufficient market penetration from Asia-Pacific region and thereby focusing on increasing investments in this region. For instance, in May 2013, Smith & Nephew acquired Sushrut Surgical Pvt. Ltd. an Indian medical technology company. Sushrut Surgicals product portfolio includes trauma implants and instruments, spine and limb salvage products. This acquisition would expand and enhance the product offerings of Smith & Nephew and would also assist in capturing lucrative market share in Asia-Pacific region.

Major market players having presence in the global regenerative medicine (bone and joint) market include DePuy Synthes, Inc. (HEALOS Bone Graft), Medtronic, Inc. (INFUSE Bone Graft) and Zimmer Holdings, Inc. (CopiOs Bone Void Filler), Orthofix, Inc. (Trinity Evolution) and NuVasive, Inc. (Osteocel Plus).

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Regenerative Medicine Market: Global Industry Analysis, Size, Share, Growth, Trends and Forecast 2013 - 2019

Tissue Collection Aids Search for Neurologic and Neuromuscular Disease Causes and Cures

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Newswise LOS ANGELES (July 24, 2014) Like other major research centers studying genetic causes of uncommon and poorly understood nervous system disorders, Cedars-Sinai maintains a growing collection of DNA and tissue samples donated by patients.

What sets Cedars-Sinais Repository of Neurologic and Neuromuscular Disorders apart is its special emphasis on tissue collection part of its focus on creating future individualized treatments for patients.

One of our major priorities is to advance the concept of personalized medicine. The idea is to take DNA from a patient, look at the cells derived from their tissue, and try to understand why this particular person got this disease. Then we can determine which therapy or therapies would work for each individual by first testing their cells. Many centers look at the genetics; ours is dedicated to looking at the genetics and the patients tissues, combining the two to understand how to treat the disease, said Robert H. Baloh, MD, PhD, director of neuromuscular medicine in the Department of Neurology and director of the ALS Program for research and treatment of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, or Lou Gehrigs disease.

This individualized treatment approach depends on collaborative efforts among doctors and researchers who treat and study individual diseases and scientists at the Cedars-Sinai Regenerative Medicine Institute, one of a very few hospital-based centers devoted to stem cell research. The teams work together to discover disease-generating molecular and cellular defects, make disease-in-a-dish models and begin to fashion personalized stem cell-based research interventions.

We know that nearly every disease has some genetic component some more than others so we collect DNA for research to identify those genetic elements. But weve also expanded our focus to include the collection of skin and blood samples that can be turned into specialized stem cells. Patients are usually very willing to donate tissue to try and help us understand the causes of their neurologic or neuromuscular disease, said Baloh, a member of the Brain Program at the Regenerative Medicine Institute.

Baloh and colleagues recently showed this approach is feasible, using skin biopsies from patients with ALS. With induced pluripotent stem cells, or iPSCs, they created ALS neurons in a lab dish. Then, inserting molecules made of small stretches of genetic material, they blocked the damaging effects of a defective gene. This provided proof of concept for a new therapeutic strategy an important step in moving research findings into clinical trials.

Baloh, the repositorys principal investigator, has a particular interest in ALS and other neuromuscular disorders, but DNA, tissue and data collection is conducted for Cedars-Sinai neuroscience researchers studying virtually any disease. And its holdings can have widespread influence: Repositories of genetic material enable scientists studying similar diseases at multiple research centers to access patient data in larger quantities than any single site could provide.

We work with many other research institutions across the country to share the samples themselves as well as de-identified information about the patients what disease they have, the severity of their disease, and similar disorder-related details. This improves our ability to find new gene abnormalities, because it cant always be done with just tens or even hundreds of patients. We may need thousands of patients, especially for very rare genetic forms of disease that have very subtle genetic effects. Therefore, we study our own patients in great detail, but we also share our resources more broadly, said Baloh, adding that genetic discoveries often have implications even for patients who dont have genetic forms of disease.

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Tissue Collection Aids Search for Neurologic and Neuromuscular Disease Causes and Cures

Stem cell agency tightens ethics rules

Stem cell agency President C. Randal Mills (left) and Chairman of the Board Jonathan Thomas.

Responding to his predecessor's ethically controversial departure, the president and chief executive of California's stem cell agency said Thursday he is taking legal steps to minimize conflicts of interests with those who have business before the agency.

C. Randal Mills said he will not take a job with any company funded by the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine for one year after he departs the agency. In addition, he also will not accept gifts or travel payments from any company, institution or person who gets agency funding.

Mills' action, announced at the agency's meeting in Millbrae, will be enforced with a legal agreement he will sign. His action comes less than a month after he replaced Alan Trounson as the agency chief. One week after his departure, CIRM-funded StemCells Inc. announced it had appointed Trounson to its board. StemCells Inc. had received an award of nearly $20 million from the agency to develop a therapy for Alzheimers disease.

While Trounson's appointment wasn't illegal, critics said it was unseemly for him to join a company that had received agency funding so soon after he left CIRM. An ethical controversy could harm the agency's chances of getting more funding from California voters, who gave the agency $3 billion with the passage of Proposition 71 in 2004.

Mills said the new rules apply only to himself, because of his central role at CIRM.

"This specifically addresses an issue where an individual in an organization has a disproportionate amount of power, and I want to make sure it's known that power will not be abused," Mills said.

Mills made the right decision, said Jeanne Loring, a CIRM-funded stem cell researcher at The Scripps Research Institute.

"There's a difference between what is legal and what is ethical," said Loring, who attended the meeting. "And he's going to be pushing the needle a lot more toward the ethical side without worrying whether he can get away with stuff."

John Simpson of Santa Monica-based Consumer Watchdog, who has often criticized CIRM for conflicts of interest, also praised the decision.

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Stem cell agency tightens ethics rules