Starting Gate at CIRM for $160 Million in Stem Cell and Gene Therapy Research Awards

Call out for "presubmissions" for the cash

CIRM will rank applications and presubmissions, giving preference to ones dealing with the above areas. CIRM graphic

California’s stem cell and gene therapy agency will take a deeper dive on Thursday into a new, $160 million award round with different requirements for researchers and new methods of screening applications.

The California Institute for Regenerative Medicine (CIRM) calls it the PDEV round, short for preclinical development. CIRM’s overall goal is “to propel 15-20 therapies targeting diseases affecting Californians to late-stage trials.” The PDEV aim is “to accelerate completion of preclinical development, FDA IND clearance, and clinical trial startup for stem cell-based and genetic therapies.” Patient affordability and accessibility are also considerations.

The program announcement said that the PDEV round was part of “CIRM’s core product development programs that, unlike other funding sources, provide reliable and predictable funding throughout the award period.”