Disease Advocate Awards Go to Two CIRM Directors

Disease Advocate Awards Go to Two CIRM Directors

The Human BioMolecular Research Insitute(HBRI) presented Disease Advocate Awards to CIRM Governing Board members Joan Samuelson and David Serrano Sewell at a “Celebration of Stem Cell Research” at the institute in San Diego May 21.

A press release issued today by HBRI described the CIRM board members as “patient advocates that have been particularly motivated and outspoken about patient causes including Parkinson’s disease, Multiple Sclerosis and ALS (or Lou Gehrig’s disease), and have worked tirelessly to make stem cell research for these diseases possible.”

CIRM co-Vice Chair, Duane Roth was the featured speaker at the event, making the case for the need to involve patient advocates in the drug development process and the important role people like Samuelson and Serrano Sewell play in delivering effective therapies to the market.