Scientific & Medical Accountability Standards Working Group

About the Standards Working Group

The Scientific and Medical Accountability Standards Working Group makes recommendations to the Independent Citizens’ Oversight Committee that governs the Proposition 71-funded California Institute for Regenerative Medicine on scientific, medical and ethical standards pertaining to CIRM-funded research. The Working Group makes recommendations to the ICOC on compliance of adopted standards, as well as on modifications to standards.

Standards working group meeting agendas and transcripts are available in the meeting archives.

Standards Working Group Recommendations

The ICOC has adopted policies recommended by the Standards Working group. These are now part of CIRM’s formal regulations. The group has also created guidance documents to help CIRM grantees interpret the formal regulations.

CIRM Reports

CIRM holds workshops and meetings to  explore, in-depth, scientific and policy issues within the field of stem cell research and regenerative medicine. Reports summarizing those workshops are available within a few months of each event.

CIRM acceptably derived stem cell lines

Title 17 California Code of Regulations Section 100080 identifies criteria for the use of stem cell lines in CIRM funded research. Acceptable hESC lines include:

Lines previously approved by NIH [pdf] prior to March 2009: All listed lines are eligible for use in CIRM-funded research.
Lines listed on the NIH Human Embryonic Stem Cell Registry: All listed line are eligible for use in CIRM-funded research.
Lines deposited in the UK Stem Cell Bank: All listed lines are eligible for use in CIRM-funded research.
Lines derived with CIRM funding: All lines certified to be derived in accordance with CIRM regulations.

Stem cell lines certification or exemption

Use the form below to certify a stem cell lines has been derived in accordance with the CIRM regulations. Submit a form to include a line on our list of certified lines approved for use in CIRM-funded research.

Title 17 California Code of Regulations Section 100081 provides is an exemption process for lines derived prior to November 22, 2006. To be granted an exemption, the petition below must be submitted to CIRM.

Publications by CIRM Staff

CIRM staff has worked in collaboration with members of the Standards Working Group and other scholars to publish on topics relating to medical and ethical standards. These publications do not necessarily represent CIRM policy. Rather they are intended to support ongoing consideration of ethical, legal, and policy considerations for stem cell science.

Additional Resources for Stem Cell Policy