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Ah, DC. The glistening capital dome, the murmuring halls of union station, the hour-long commute from Dulles to downtown (How was I supposed to know there were 2 airports!?). With EB 2007 said and done (so many, many people) the mind turns to things political...
I didn't get a chance to update before I left town, but the past few weeks have seen developments in some important MO life science legislation:
1. The Lewis and Clark Discovery Initiative
First proposed nearly a year and a half ago by Governor Matt Blunt, the Lewis and Clark Discovery Initiative promised to shift $300 million from MOHELA, the state-sponsored student loan authority, towards various education-related capital projects. Included in this list was a variety of life science facilities, including new facilities at UMSL, the Center for Emerging Technologies and, perhaps most significantly, an $80+ million cancer research center at the University of Missouri - Columbia.
The project has since run into opposition from both sides of the political spectrum. Between Democratic concern for the viability of MOHELA after the sale, and Republican fear of potentially supporting stem cell research, a heavily-modified bill lacking nearly all life science programs ran aground on a Senate filibuster in March.
Debate on the issue was finally resumed on April 19th, when Senate Republicans mustered enough votes to pass the bill. Gone are the CET facilities, the cancer center and other once-hoped for projects. Replacing them: some isolated agricultural projects and, just to rub salt into the wound, a complete lack of funding for any major new facilities at Mizzou - seen by many as retaliation for the Democratic filibuster.
So, all in all a pretty discouraging result. The one consolation for the biotech community is this: The Initiative was controversial for several reasons besides simply containing life science projects. If, as some opponents claim, the payout manages to bring Missouri's higher educational system to the brink of collapse, perhaps it will be better in the long run that the state life science community isn't wrapped up too tightly in the process.
2. Life Sciences Research Trust Fund
In happier news, some progress has been made in providing the first scheduled transfer of funds into the state Life Sciences Research Trust Fund. Originally created in 2003 to help spend money from Missouri's tobacco settlement, the funding process hit a series of snags in previous year from, who else, conservative special interest groups. This year, the appropriations are especially important due to their potential use in a pair of federal proposals, for new bio-defense and energy centers.
Right out of the door, the bill ran into trouble. MO House Republicans successfully reduced the funding amount from Gov. Blunt's original $33 million down to $15 million, eliminating nearly all human life science funding. What's more, there was some speculation that even that reduced amount would fail to see the light of day. Such an action would virtually eliminate Missouri as a contender for the federal centers and permanently affect the regional life science sector.
Responding to these real dangers, Sen. Graham (D-Columbia), Sen. Bray (D-University City), Sen. Callahan (D-Independence), Sen. Coleman (D- St. Louis) and Sen. Wilson (D-Kansas City) rather heroically fought for passage of the bill and removal of any language limiting use of the funds. They were partially successful. Although the bill was finally passed, appropriating $13.5 million to the trust fund, it explicitly prevents any money from going to human life science research. The relevant section (7.020) reads:
Section 7.020. To the Department of Economic Development
For the Life Sciences Research Board for distribution of grants or
contracts to Missouri private and not-for-profit institutions to fund
projects relating to increasing Missouri's research capacity, as
provided in Sections 196.1100 through 196.1130. The Life
Sciences Research Board shall submit to the Chairman of the
Senate Appropriations Committee and the Chairman of the House
Budget Committee a spending plan for the period from July 1,
2007 to June 30, 2008 no later than December 1, 2007 detailing
the projects and institutions to which it will distribute grants or
contracts. Projects should be limited to bioenergy projects,
National Bio- and Agro-Defense Facility projects, Gateway Fund
projects, Animal Health Corridor projects and/or Odor
Abatement/Water Quality projects
From Life Sciences Research Trust Fund .......$13,455,465
This extra language (plus a loss of $1.5 million) differs from the House version, so the two bodies are in the middle of conference committee negotiations. Public hearings wrapped up last Friday, so hopefully we should hear about the final details in the next few days.
In all, a busy few weeks. We still haven't seen the glowing show of state support that everyone has been waiting for to push the biotech sector onto the next level of development - at this rate we may never will. But apart from the money, it's troubling to think that people still view science as morally objectionable. Missouri's scientists and engineers are ordinary individuals who have dedicated their lives to improving the human condition, often for little pay or publicity. So tell me, why do we need to convince anyone that we're not a bunch of baby-killers?
This morning, Stereotaxis reported a first quarter revenue increase of over 400% from the same time last year. Much of the increase is as a result of increased orders for the company's Niobe magnetic catheter guidance system and associated consumables. The announcement kicks off a busy few days for the company, whose technology will be featured in over a dozen technical presentations at this weekend's annual meeting of the Heart Rhythm Society in Denver, Colorado.
Saint Louis University announced last Monday that its Center for Vaccine Development will lead a national study of a new smallpox vaccine. The World Health Organization officially eradicated smallpox in 1980 as part of a concerted global effort. Nonetheless, many people fear that stored stockpiles of the virus could be used as a bioterror weapon.