They just can’t seem to get the money flowing in California, where $3 billion, which has to seem like a bigger tab with every passing day, continues to essentially be held up by the lingering nuisance suits. So schools are dealing with the problem in different ways. Some are building buildings anyway, a few are actually getting money from the California Institute for Reproductive Medicine through some kind of arrangement I cannot figure out, but most are shaking trees to find ways to move ahead.
And what makes that so amusing to watch is the sort of folks with billions of dollars who live in the parts of California where stem cell research will be concentrated. Take, for example, Ray Dolby, the surround sound guy, who has just given UCSF $16 million to start a stem cell center.