Scientist Stuart Orkin of Harvard, who headed the grant review group of the California stem cell agency for three years, today was named as a member of the blue-ribbon Institute of Medicine panel conducting an examination of the perfomance of the $3 billion enterprise.

Orkin left the grant review group in November of 2008. The IOM posted information about Orkin today but did not mention his earlier connection to CIRM. The grant review group makes the de facto decisions on grants by the stem cell agency.

During Orkin's tenure, the agency began to come under fire from businesses for what they said were deficiencies in the grant review process.

Orkin replaces David Scadden, also of Harvard, who  resigned from the IOM-CIRM panel in December month because of his ties to Fate Therapeutics of San Diego, which lists him as a scientific founder.

Source:
http://californiastemcellreport.blogspot.com/feeds/posts/default?alt=rss