A group of scientists, patient advocates and ethicists chose venture capitalist Linda Powers to oversee the distribution of up to $15 million in state funding for stem cell research as chair of the Maryland Stem Cell Commission Thursday.
In the inaugural meeting at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County?s technology center, 13 of 15 members were sworn in and chose a chairman before diving into discussions of bylaws, rules for grant applications and the commission?s structure.
Chairwoman Linda Powers, managing director of investment firm Toucan Capital, volunteered to serve as the commission?s first chair. The Toucan co-founder has served as a reviewer of grant applications to the National Institutes of Health. Powers also taught a course in commercializing life science technology to scientists working inside NIH.
“Success stories can be very small,” she said. “A small success story, in my experience, can be much more important than a lot of talk about big things.”
“I think a lot of the country is watching what?s happening at the state level” due to the restrictions on federal funding, Powers said.
Commissioners spoke of the urgency of the state stem cell funding legislation.
“My goal is that we move ? within the borders of ethics and science ? as rapidly as possible,” said John Kellerman, a patient advocate and 15-year sufferer of Parkinson?s disease.
The research money will not result in quick fixes.
“The chance that we?re going to make a major hit in the first year with this money is not very likely,” said Murray Sachs, director of the Biomedical Engineering Department at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine.
Commissioners voted to cast a broad net, asking for grant applications for any type of research on stem cells.
One- to three-year grants will be considered, with future funding subject to annual reviews as well as continued funding by the Maryland General Assembly.
