When voters swallowed the Proposition 71 snake oil and went billions into debt in a state already drowning in red ink to chase the rainbow of human cloning, they had no idea that the California Institute of Regenerative Medicine would find itself in continual turmoil. The latest is a threat by the CIRM to sue its landlord for free operating expenses such as electricity and garbage pickup.

At the time, San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom kowtowed to the CIRM just like other government leaders have throughout the country to Big Biotech and arranged free rent if it would locate in SF. But now, the CIRM says it is owed an expense free domicile and may sue to get it. From the story:

A highly touted agreement that won San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom bragging rights for landing the headquarters of California’s stem cell institute in his city three years ago has run into a snag–a dispute over how to pay potentially millions of dollars in operating expenses…

At a closed session in Sacramento on Wednesday, however, the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine’s governing board voted to authorize legal action against Stockbridge Capital Partners, the owner of the building, to assure reimbursement for the operating expenses…

At issue is approximately $425,000 in annual operating costs for items as diverse as electricity, janitors, parking privileges and fees similar to those paid by condominium owners. Part of the deal, according to stem cell board Chairman Robert Klein, was that the state-funded institute would not have to pay those costs…Adam Alberti, spokesman for Stockbridge, said Wednesday that the company remains committed to keeping the institute headquarters in San Francisco. “We are in year two of a 10-year rent-free deal,” he said. “We will continue to meet that obligation.”

Alberti said that so far the firm also has covered about $1 million of operating expenses - costs that were to be covered by “private fundraisers and other parties” who have yet to come through with the money. “We are working with the city and other folks involved to find ways to cover this,” he said. “Ultimately, the guarantor of the deal is Stockbridge.”

Whether San Francisco itself may end up footing part of the bill remains uncertain.

Is there any other industry in which government leaders and private enterprise go so, to put it politely, supine? And all of these billions to be thrown at an area of biotechnology that might not even pan out. Unbelievable.

Take the most complex organ in the human body, superimpose the legacy of biology’s biggest research project, and what have you got? An unprecedented brain map that is set to transform studies of neuroscience and brain disease. (New Scientist)

As doctors struggle to eradicate polio worldwide, one of their biggest problems is persuading parents to vaccinate their children. In Belgium, authorities are resorting to an extreme measure: prison sentences. (San Francisco Chronicle)

It’s been a year since the parents of a severely disabled child made public their decision to submit their daughter to a hysterectomy, breast surgery and drugs to keep the girl forever small. Today, the couple tell CNN, they believe they made the right decision — one that could have a profound impact on the care of disabled children worldwide. (CNN)

How and why women and men are different is a topic of enduring scientific and public interest. Over the past decade, the number of neuroscience studies documenting sex differences in brain anatomy, chemistry, and function, and involving cognitive domains such as emotion, memory, and learning, has exploded (Cahill 2006). Although scholars in the field of neuroethics have explored advances in neuroscience from many angles, few, if any, have paid attention to neuroscientific work on sex differences or to gender as a primary category of analysis. (AJOB)

A task force has been established to provide infertile couples in poor countries with access to affordable reproductive treatments such as IVF, a European group of fertility experts announced today. They are aiming to roll out a network of cheap clinics that could offer IVF, for example, for as little as US$200 a time. (Nature)

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) joined with The Advertising Council today to launch a Spanish-language national public service campaign designed to encourage Hispanics to become more involved in their health care. The campaign urges Hispanics to stay healthy for their loved ones by visiting their doctor for regular screenings. (Newswise)

Assisted suicide advocate Jack Kevorkian plans to run for Congress, complicating a Michigan race that is expected to be among the most competitive in the nation. (Associated Press)

The age of consent for organ donation in Wisconsin will drop from 18 to 15 years old. A new bill would lower the age in hopes of increasing the number of available organ donors. The bill also would establish a donor registry and if a persons wishes are unclear doctors are given the authority to override a family member’s wishes. Sonja Stephenson, Chairperson of the Donate Life Committee at Marshfield Clinic says the bill is a good idea, and offers tips to make your wishes known. ” If you wish to be a donor sigh the back of your license, make sure you have a health-care power of attorney and make sure your family knows your wishes,” says Stephenson. (7WSAW)