Public Comments to CIRM PRESIDENTIAL SEARCH SUBCOMMITTEE Meeting on May 24, 28, 29, 31,2024

Public Comments to CIRM PRESIDENTIAL SEARCH SUBCOMMITTEE Meeting on May 24, 28, 29, 31,2024

I came from China. America embraced me like a blooming flower. I did not know racism until DEI came along. I did not feel discrimination until inequality was highlighted in almost every public corner, university, and government agency. Sometimes, racism can be heard in the shadows only from those who tout DEI in the broad daylight. Sometimes, discrimination can be felt behind the closed doors only from those who implement DEI in the open public. Sometimes, DEI is just propaganda of those racists for exclusion. Why wouldn’t CIRM, a California State Agency that highlights DEI in almost every public place, welcome applicants for CIRM President from underserved and underrepresented communities and small businesses, such as women and minority, for the sake of the equal opportunity employer law of the State of California? Why couldn’t CIRM Presidential Search Subcommittee itself even align with CIRM’s mission to search CIRM President in an equitable manner fair to a diverse California and the world in order to accelerate world class science to deliver transformative regenerative medicine treatments?

Public Comments to CIRM PRESIDENTIAL SEARCH SUBCOMMITTEE Meeting on May 24, 28, 29, 31.

Dear CIRM PRESIDENTIAL SEARCH SUBCOMMITTEE,

Thanks for the meeting notices and thank you for this opportunity to present my Public Comment. I thought CIRM, a CA state agency, would welcome applicants for CIRM President from underserved and underrepresented communities and small businesses, such as women and minority, as CIRM’s commitment to DEI and inclusive excellence highlighted in CIRM public meetings, program announcements, application packages, and many other public places, including its mission that is “to accelerate world-class science to deliver transformative regenerative medicine treatments in an equitable manner to a diverse California and the world”. And I believe that I have met the profile of CIRM President and CEO of the CIRM search committee (Please see my cover letter below). Could you please explain publicly that why CIRM Presidential Search Subcommittee would not consider my application for the sake of the equal opportunity employer law of the State of California, or why CIRM Presidential Search Subcommittee itself could not even align with CIRM’s mission to search CIRM President in an equitable manner fair to a diverse California and the world in order to accelerate world class science to deliver transformative regenerative medicine treatments?

From: Gabriela Behrend <gbehrend@sri-executive.com>
Sent: Monday, May 13, 2024 10:07 AM
To: James & Jun Parsons <jparsons001@san.rr.com>
Subject: Appreciation for Your Participation in the CIRM President Search

Dear Jun,

I hope this message finds you well.

I want to express our sincere appreciation for your active participation in the selection process for the CIRM President role.

Regrettably, after thorough consideration, the search committee has decided to move forward with other candidates whose qualifications more closely align with the specific needs of the position at this time.

I want to extend our deepest gratitude for the time and effort you dedicated to the interview process. Your insights and expertise were truly valuable to us, and we are grateful for your interest in pursuing opportunities through our firm.

Should any future opportunities arise that match your profile and career goals, we would be delighted to consider you for such roles.

Thank you once again for your understanding and cooperation throughout this process.

Best regards,

Gabriela Behrend

Senior Executive Search Consultant

Buenos Aires, Argentina

Email: gbehrend@sri-executive.com

Calendar: https://go.oncehub.com/GabrielaBehrend

Telephone: +353 1 667 5008

LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/gabriela-behrend-she-her-6a9a491

Website: www.sri-executive.com

Cover Letter

March 7, 2024

CIRM President and CEO Search

SRI Executive

To Whom It May Concern:

Please find attached my curriculum vitae in response to your search for CIRM President and CEO.

I received my PhD in Biochemistry, Molecular and Cell Biology from Cornell University and completed my Postdoc training as a Leukemia and Lymphoma Society Research Fellow at University of California at San Diego. After my Postdoc training, I was awarded NIH grants to conduct human embryonic stem cell (hESC) research and led the collaborative effort to develop the utility of hESC as a model system for a diverse range of biological and medical problems in one of the NIH exploratory centers for hESC research. I am a stem cell research innovator with 2 USPTO patents, an Asian American woman entrepreneur, a hESC research advocate, a patient advocate, a minority leader with broad scientific training as well as extensive stem cell, regenerative medicine, and biomedical research experience and expertise.

I believe that I have met the profile of CIRM President and CEO of the CIRM search committee, including,

1. I have extensive experience with and a strong personal commitment to the research and development of transformative treatments for unmet medical needs, including for underserved populations.

I have over 20 years of experience in stem cell research and regenerative medicine, and a strong personal commitment to the research and development of transformative treatment for unmet medical needs, including previously serving as the Project Leader and Key Personnel to lead the collaborative effort to develop the utility of hESC as a model system for a diverse range of biological and medical problems in one of the NIH exploratory centers for hESC research, awarded 2 NIH grants for hESC research as the Principal Investigator (PI), securing 2 USPTO patents for my breakthrough hESC innovations, and founding Regenerative Medicine Startups, including San Diego Regenerative Medicine Institute (SDRMI) and Xcelthera, to provide the next generation of cell-based therapeutic solutions for unmet medical challenges in world-wide major health problems. My long and fruitful journey of developing breakthrough medical innovations to provide transformative therapeutic and scalable solutions to the major bottlenecks in CNS and heart regeneration has demonstrated my commitment to the leading position in cutting-edge most-advanced stem cell research and regenerative medicine in order to resolve the health and economy burdens of major unmet medical needs promised by the California Stem Cell Research and Cures Act that CIRM is organized pursuant to.

My breakthrough medical innovations present hESC as a novel, advanced therapeutic strategy for a wide range of incurable or hitherto untreatable neurological and heart diseases, including heart disease and failure, stroke, Parkinson’s disease (PD), Alzheimer disease (AD), spinal cord injury (SCI), traumatic brain injury (TBI), amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), spinal muscular atrophy (SMA), which are major unmet medical needs with estimated costs of over $2 trillion annually world-wide. Those devastating and life-threatening diseases are leading causes of death or permanent disability, but there is no effective treatment or drug that can restore the damaged or lost heart or neurological tissues and functions. The limit capacity of cardiomyocytes (the mature contracting heart muscle cells) of the heart as well as neuron circuitries of the brain/spinal-cord for self-repair constitutes a significant challenge to traditional medicine for tissue and function restoration in seeking cures for those serious diseases and conditions. To date, the need to restore vital tissue and function for a wide range of incurable or hitherto untreatable neurological and heart diseases remains a daunting challenge to the conventional mode of drug development. As neurological and cardiovascular diseases incur exorbitant costs on the healthcare system worldwide, there is a strong focus on translating hESC research innovations to provide potentially life-saving treatments or cures for these major health problems.

I am the first to develop the key breakthrough technologies for large-scale production of high quality clinical-grade hESC lines and their functional human neuronal and heart cell therapy derivatives for commercial and therapeutic uses, thus overcoming the major bottleneck in the regenerative medicine market and enabling therapeutic development, commercialization, and clinical practice of hESC tools and products. The breakthrough medical innovations of my hESC research have not only opened up funding opportunities for new frontiers of regenerative medicine in the development of transformative treatments for unmet medical needs, but also increased the likelihood of success in clinical trials and speeded up the process of bringing life-saving treatments and cures to millions of patients, including for underserved populations.

2. I have in-depth understanding of CIRM’s mission and responsibilities as a state agency as outlined in Proposition 14.

It is my understanding that CIRM was created and has been sustained by CA propositions to support the California Stem Cell Research and Cures Act as a CA state agency that will use the proceeds of bonds to support stem cell research, as well as other related, vital medical technologies as outlined in Proposition 14 for the development of life-saving regenerative medicine treatments and cures. Its mission is to accelerate world-class science to deliver transformative regenerative medicine treatments in an equitable manner to a diverse California and the world.

It is public consensus that hESC research holds huge promise for treating major human diseases that have been challenging for traditional medicine, and provide the only solution and hope for a wide range of incurable or hitherto untreatable diseases. California voters even passed 2 propositions, Prop. 71 and Prop. 14, to establish and sustain CIRM to support and fund the frontier of regenerative medicine brought by breakthrough medical innovations of hESC research in order to find promising treatments and cures for those life-threatening and devastating diseases that cost trillions and affect millions. Millions of people are pining their hopes on the California Stem Cell Research and Cures Act that promises treatments and cures for a host of very costly and devastating diseases. California voters entrust CIRM to deliver that promise. California taxpayers are counting on CIRM to deliver regenerative medicine technology innovations and transformative treatments for them to be able to access potential life-saving treatments and cures brough by the therapeutic potential of hESC and the breakthrough medical innovations of hESC research. California voters are counting on CIRM to resolve the health and economy burdens of major unmet medical needs promised by the California Stem Cell Research and Cures Act. California voters even passed Prop. 14 to give CIRM second chance after CIRM had failed to deliver that promise with Prop. 71.

To fulfill CIRM’s mission that is compelled by California Propositions and voters to fund the most promising stem cell research and the most advanced regenerative medicine therapies with California taxpayer money in order to accelerate world-class science to deliver transformative regenerative medicine treatments and cures in an equitable manner to a diverse California and the world for a host of disorders that destroy lives, to uphold the scientific credibility of CIRM awards, to restore public confidence in CIRM, to gain both the public and the State of California support for bond financing, to help gain voter support for future Proposition, to avoid frauds and wastes of taxpayer money and negative public perception of CIRM, it is CIRM’s responsibilities as a state agency to ensure the transparence and accountability of the entire CIRM funding process, from grants selection, review, to ICOC award; to ensure California taxpayer money to be ethically used to deliver life-saving treatments and cures for patients, not to be unethically and unaccountably distributed to profit only those who have ties to CIRM and/or ICOC; to ensure CIRM comply with the Federal and State laws, including the conflict-of-interest (COI) law the State of California about its employees; to uphold the scientific integrity, research standards, scientific credibility, openness, and fairness in CIRM grants selections, reviews, and awards; to ensure that CIRM grants selections and reviews are based on scientific merits, but not on close-ties; to ensure no double standards in CIRM funding process, from eligibility criteria, grants selections, reviews, to ICOC awards; to ensure no such anti-science, biased, discriminative/marginalizing, anti-California Stem Cell Research and Cures Act, anti-CIRM’s mission, flawed, and COI eligibility criteria, terms, languages, guidelines, and instructions specifically written for stem cell scams in CIRM program announcements and application packages, from Discovery to Clinical programs to CIRM Training/Infrastructure programs; to ensure the presentations, summaries, reviews, public statements, press releases, and awards presented to ICOC in public are scientifically sound and contain no embarrassing scientifically false statements; to ensure the most promising stem cell research projects that would bring enormous benefit to CA diverse population to be reviewed and funded; to ensure the highest quality stem cell-based projects to be awarded; to ensure CIRM to deliver the promise of the California Stem Cell Research and Cures Act for California voters.

3. I have a proven ability to create alignment to the mission and vision of an organization with important stakeholders both within and outside the organization.

The successful derivation of hESC lines from the in vitro fertilization (IVF) leftover embryos is considered as one of the major breakthroughs of the 20th century life sciences. However, hESC research has been surrounded by decades of social and legal controversy despite its huge promise for treating major human diseases that have been challenging to traditional medicine. As early as 2004, to create alignment to the mission and vision of NIH with the supporters of hESC research, including NIH officials, stem cell researchers, patient advocates, the Democratic Party, and the “Blue” State of California, to advocate increasing public funding and more relaxed NIH funding policy for hESC research, I led the strategic planning, goal setting, and delivery process to develop and write stem cell research projects with my original hESC research and ability to integrate diverse sources of information to develop novel approaches, including as the project leader for two core projects and two pilot projects, which achieved the desired outcomes to win Burnham Institute for Medical Research the award of the NIH Exploratory Center Grant for hESC Research to establish the Burnham Stem Cell Center to facilitate collaborative research in the basic biology of hESC and enable new and established investigators to develop the utility of hESC as a model system for a diverse range of biological and medical problems, and moved Burnham Institute forward in stem cell research in alignment with NIH.

To realize the therapeutic potential of hESC to bring life-saving treatments and cures to millions of patients, I have developed breakthrough medical innovations to present the hESC as a novel, advanced therapeutic strategy for a wide range of incurable or hitherto untreatable neurological and heart diseases, in order to create alignment to the mission and vision of both NIH and CIRM of a “Blue” State with important stakeholders both within and outside the public funding agencies to advance hESC research. To lead the strategic planning, goal setting, and delivery process to increase the public funding for stem cell research in alignment with supporters of hESC research, patient advocates, as well as the “Blue” State of California and its Democratic Governor, Lieutenant Governor, Treasurer, Controller, and the majority Democratic Senators and Assemblymembers, I presented my breakthrough hESC research in scientific meetings, including ISSCR Annual Meetings and Keystone Symposia, which achieved the desired outcomes to gain the support of the State of California for bond financing for the Stem Cell Research and Cures Act – Proposition 71 – to promote CIRM to issue funding initiatives, including CIRM major facilities awards after my presentation of my hESC research breakthroughs at the Keyston Symposia in 2008, and CIRM research leadership awards after my talk of “Deriving cardiac elements from pluripotent hESC for heart reconstitution" at the Keystone Symposium in 2010, to move CIRM forward.

To lead the strategic planning, goal setting, and delivery process to improve policy making for hESC research in the Federal Government, in alignment to the mission and vision of the public funding agencies with important stakeholders both within and outside to advance hESC research, including government officials, stem cell researchers, patient advocates, Senators, House Representatives, Democratic President and Vice President, I have developed breakthrough medical innovations to present the hESC as a novel, advanced therapeutic strategy for major unmet medical needs that cost trillions and affect millions, which achieved the desired outcomes, including the more relaxed NIH funding policy for hESC research, the FDA Regenerative Medicine Advanced Therapy (RMAT) Designation Program to accelerate regulatory review and approval and patient access to new stem cell therapies brought by the therapeutic potential of hESC, and enacting the FDA Modernization Act 2.0 that legitimizes alternatives to animal testing for advancing a drug or product to human trials only made possible by the advancements in hESC research, to promote the Federal Funding Agencies to open up scores of funding opportunities, including the White House BRAIN Initiative, the NIH Common Fund and High-Risk High-Reward Program, the DOD Advanced Tissue Biofabrication Manufacturing Innovation Institute (ATB-MII) Initiative, and the Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health (ARPA-H), to move the Federal Government and its scientific research Funding Agencies forward to increase public funding for the new frontiers of stem cell research and regenerative medicine brought by the breakthrough medical innovations of my hESC research.

To lead the strategic planning, goal setting, and delivery process to realize the therapeutic potential of hESC to bring life-saving treatments and cures to millions of patients, I have sent letters or comments or opinions with my vision and expertise in response to the RFIs or Letters or Initiatives of Public Funding Agencies, White House, Senators, and House Representatives, including my Letter to Senator Wicker – induced pluripotent stem cells -- another scientific Ponzi scheme or adult stem cell lie; my Letter to White House -- the overturning of Roe v. Wade fueled by a scarlet “Red” adult stem cell Ponzi scheme of the Bush Administration with billions of taxpayer money; my Response/Letter to White House Initiative OMB-2021-0005-0136: Office of Management and Budget’s (OMB) Request for Information (RFI) on Methods and Leading Practices for Advancing Equity and Support for Underserved Communities Through Government to create alignment with the White House’s commitment to DEI and inclusive excellence; my Response/Letter to ARPA-H Request for Information (RFI): Accelerating Innovation through ARPA-H and FDA Collaboration; My Response/Letter to NIH NOT-OD-23-034 RFI on Proposed Simplified Review Framework for NIH Research Project Grant Applications; my Response/Letter to NIH NOT-RM-23-013 RFI: NIH Common Fund is Soliciting Ideas for NIH-wide Challenges and Opportunities; my Response/Letter to NIH NOT-OD-23-140 RFI on Catalyzing the Development and Use of Novel Alternative Methods to Advance Biomedical Research; my Response/Letter to NIH NOT-NS-23-041 RFI: Soliciting Public Comment on Draft Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) Strategic Plan, which achieved the desired outcomes to create alignment to the mission and vision of the public funding and regulatory agencies with important stakeholders both within and outside to advance hESC research, including government officials, stem cell researchers, patient advocates, Senators, House Representatives, Democratic President and Vice President, to move the Federal Government forward to increase funding for scientific research and its Funding Agencies forward to accelerate the development of new treatments, cures, and therapies for many life-threatening and devastating diseases and injuries, and speed up medical breakthroughs to patients and the process of entering into human trials.

My innovation and leadership in stem cell research, entrepreneurship in regenerative medicine start-up, and journey of developing novel, transformative hESC-based regenerative medicine advanced therapies (RMAT) to impact the future of medicine have proven my ability to create alignment to the mission and vision of both NIH and CIRM with important stakeholders both within and outside the organizations, including NIH/CIRM officials, stem cell researchers, patient advocates, the Democratic Party, the Democratic President and Vice President, and the “Blue” State of California and its Democratic Governor, Lieutenant Governor, Treasurer, and Controller. For example, the induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSC) are in fact cancer cells or adult cells reprogrammed with oncogenes or reprogrammed cells (the scientific term for cancer is reprogramming), an adult stem cell Ponzi scheme created by the opponents of pluripotent hESC research, introduced by the Bush administration as the alternative of hESC to circumvent the ethical issue of hESC. The iPSC Ponzi scheme or scam is by the Bush Administration, scarlet “Red”. As a hESC research advocate, a patient advocate, a stem cell research innovator, a minority leader with broad scientific expertise, a woman-founder, an Asian American entrepreneur, I represent a prominent figure and a strong voice to advocate public funding to advance hESC research and public support to improve policy making on a global stage, to ensure CIRM, a public funding agency of a “Blue” State, to align with its Democratic Governor, Lieutenant Governor, Treasurer, Controller, and the majority Democratic Senators and Assemblymembers for their support for bond financing, not to be on the wrong side of the politics of the “Blue” State to only fund or award the scarlet “Red” iPSC Ponzi scheme of the Bush Administration, stalling CIRM bond financing with the State of California; to ensure NIH and other public funding agencies (e. g., HHS, ARPA-H) to align with the Democratic President, Vice President, and the Democrats to gain their support for increasing public funding for stem cell research, not to be on the wrong side of the politics, besides on the wrong side of sciences.

4. I have extensive experience with and understanding of the research and development of therapeutics from entry into pre-clinical development through clinical studies aimed at FDA approval, including knowledge of clinical development, process development and manufacturing, regulatory requirements, and reimbursement considerations.

I have extensive experience in stem cell therapy or regenerative medicine product and platform development with broad knowledge of the research and development of therapeutics from entry into pre-clinical development through clinical studies aimed at FDA approval; ample expertise in stem cell research and regenerative medicine as well as therapeutic arears such as neurological diseases, heart diseases, and cancers; knowledge and hands on experience with cell and gene therapy development process and related disciplines that have direct bearings on the clinical development of stem cell-based and gene therapies. I have developed the key breakthrough technology platform – PluriXcel -- for well-controlled, highly efficient, direct conversion of non-functional clinical-grade hESC at the pluripotent stage by small molecule induction into a large supply of functional human neuronal/cardiac progenitor/precursor cells as novel, safe, and effective regenerative medicine advanced therapy (RMAT) products for neuron-circuitry/heart-muscle regeneration, overcoming the major bottlenecks in the regenerative medicine market. I have also secured patents for preclinical development, manufacturing, and clinical development and commercialization of relevant hESC-based RMAT products and tools. The PluriXcel platforms provide proprietary clinical-grade translating capabilities to address key challenges to traditional medicine and biofabrication, and offer currently the only available human cell sources in large quantity and high quality with adequate cellular capacity to regenerate the contractile heart muscle and the neuron circuitry, overcoming major bottlenecks for tissue repair & biofabrication. My breakthrough hESC innovations render neuronal/cardiac lineage-specific conversion directly from the pluripotent state of hESC by small molecule induction, which opens the door for human neural/cardiac tissue/organ engineering/regeneration and investigating molecular human embryonic development using powerful in vitro model systems. My innovative achievements in hESC research have demonstrated the direct pharmacologic utility and capacity of hESC therapy derivatives for human CNS and myocardium regeneration, which not only constitutes clinically representative progresses in both human neuronal and cardiac therapeutic products for treating a wide range of incurable or hitherto untreatable neurological and cardiovascular diseases, but also offers manufacturing innovation for production scale-up and creation of replacement tissue/organ products.

5. I have sincere interest in entering into engaging productive dialogue regarding CIRM’s performance and future direction with important stakeholders, including patients, advocates, academia, industry, government officials, and board members.

CIRM is a CA stem cell agency established and sustained by California Propositions with taxpayer money to fund the most promising stem cell research in order to find treatments or cures for many unmet medical needs, and relieve the health and economy burdens of a host of diseases that destroy lives. As a stem cell research innovator, an Asian American woman entrepreneur, a hESC research advocate, a patient advocate, my expertise and commitment are aligned CIRM’s mission, and CIRM’s success is my success. My vision and my passionate and unwavering advocacy for hESC research are based upon my first-hand experience in innovative hESC research that not only has made me truly believe that hESC research provides revolutionary therapeutic solutions for many major health problems, but also has generated original hESC research breakthroughs. To help fulfill CIRM’s mission that is compelled by California Propositions and voters to fund the most promising stem cell research and the most advanced regenerative medicine therapies with California taxpayer money in order to accelerate world-class science to deliver transformative regenerative medicine treatments and cures in an equitable manner to a diverse California and the world for a host of disorders that destroy lives, to uphold the scientific credibility of CIRM awards, to restore public confidence in CIRM, to gain both the public and the State of California support for bond financing, to help gain voter support for future Proposition, to avoid frauds and wastes of taxpayer money and negative public perception of CIRM, I have made multiple public comments or “Letters to the Board” at ICOC meetings, to engage productive dialogue regarding CIRM’s performance and future direction with important stakeholders; to ensure CIRM, a public funding agency of a “Blue” State, to align with its Democratic Governor, Lieutenant Governor, Treasurer, Controller, and the majority Democratic Senators and Assemblymembers for their support for bond financing, not to be on the wrong side of the politics of the “Blue” State to only fund or award the scarlet “Red” iPSC Ponzi scheme of the Bush Administration, stalling CIRM bond financing with the State of California; to bring ICOC board members’ attention to the California Stem Cell Research and Cures Act that CIRM is organized pursuant to, to those incurable or hitherto untreatable neurological diseases that destroy millions of lives and cost trillions every year, to the treatments or cures for those very costly and devastating neurological diseases promised by the California Stem Cell Research and Cures Act, to hESC research that millions of people are pining their hopes on, to the breakthrough medical innovations of hESC research that provide therapeutic and scalable solutions to the major bottleneck in neuron regeneration and CNS repair to speed up the development of safe and effective therapies for unmet medical needs and increase the likelihood of success in clinical trials (please see CIRM website and my website at https://www.sdrmi.org ). For example, in Task force on Neuroscience and Medicine of ICOC meeting, I outlined the current state of hESC research that has provided much-need therapeutic solutions for a wide range of incurable or hitherto untreatable neurological diseases, and has laid the foundation for neurological tissue and function restoration as well as for bridging the key knowledge gap in human CNS development, and it is crucial for CIRM Task force on Neuroscience and Medicine to prioritize such frontier of regenerative medicine to ensure that these reachable treatments or cures brought by the breakthrough medical innovations of hESC research for those costly and devastating neurological diseases are near, to ensure CA taxpayer money be used to pave a successful path in the war against diseases, and to ensure CIRM’s future sustainability (please see CIRM website and my website at https://www.sdrmi.org ).

6. I have experience reporting to a board of directors with the necessary confidence and ability to develop collaborative and productive relationships with the board and its leadership.

I have made multiple public comments or “Letters to the Board” at ICOC meetings to report to ICOC board of directors with confidence and ability to develop collaborative and productive relationships with the board and its leadership (please see CIRM website and my website at https://www.sdrmi.org ), and I also presented my proposals to ICOC board of directors with the necessary confidence and ability to develop collaborative and productive relationships with the board and its leadership, including as the speaker to present my proposal, CIRM INFR2-09233: Create clinical-grade CIRM translating center to leverage stem cell treatment development and manufacturing innovations for progressing to the clinic, in the ICOC meeting at San Francisco in 2016.

7. I have the experience in overseeing an organization or team that evaluates, approves, and conducts large, multi-year projects or programs.

As the Project Leader and Key Personnel at Burnham Stem Cell Center, I led a team of new and established investigators that evaluates, approves, and conducts large, multi-year stem cell research projects or programs funded by both NIH and CIRM to develop the utility of hESC as a model system for a diverse range of biological and medical problems. As the Founder and CEO of woman-owned, minority Research Institute and Regenerative Medicine Company, including San Diego Regenerative Medicine Institute, Xcelthera Inc, and PluriStem Biopharmaceutical Ltd, I have gained the experience in overseeing an organization that evaluates, approves, and conducts multi-year stem cell research projects or programs, including successfully administrating and completing the NIH-funded research projects.

8. As the Founder and CEO of woman-owned, minority Research Institute and Regenerative Medicine Company, including San Diego Regenerative Medicine Institute, Xcelthera Inc, and PluriStem Biopharmaceutical Ltd, I have experience leading, as the sole head or CEO, a medical or scientific or research organization with administrative and programmatic budgets and workforce comparable to that of CIRM including direct responsibility for: Building and retaining a diverse, cohesive, and talented leadership team; Establishing a compelling vision and developing and executing the strategic plan; Gaining board and organizational support for the plan; Evaluating the progress of the plan with objective measures of success; Celebrating accomplishments with all stakeholders to reinforce momentum and build a culture of success.

9. As the Founder and CEO of woman-owned, minority Research Institute and Regenerative Medicine Company, including San Diego Regenerative Medicine Institute, Xcelthera Inc, and PluriStem Biopharmaceutical Ltd, I have experience budgeting and implementing budgets in a fiscally responsible manner, including successfully administrating and completing the NIH-funded research projects.

10. I have a proven track record of creating a culture of diversity and inclusivity within an organization.

As a woman, as an Asian American, I have contributed to promoting diversity by pursuing a successful career in science and technology, by educational and professional advancement, by academic excellence, by outstanding achievement in biomedical research, by innovation and leadership in stem cell research, by entrepreneurship in regenerative medicine start-up, and by developing novel, transformative hESC-based regenerative medicine advanced therapy (RMAT) to impact the future of medicine. As a woman, as a minority, I have a proven track record of creating a culture of diversity and inclusivity within many organizations, including the Salk Institute, the Burnham Institute, the UCSD, the UC Riverside, and the SDRMI. As a woman, as a minority, I have striven to overcome systemic inequities to gain equitable access and recognition in a field dominated by men, to get promoted to a prominent and leadership position traditionally held by men, to improve leadership prospects for women, to fight for fair treatments for underserved minority communities, to fight for millions of patients and for their rights and their hopes to access to potential life-saving treatments and cures brought by the therapeutic potential of hESC and the breakthrough medical innovations of my hESC research, and to advocate transparent and responsible funding for stem cell research. To create alignment with the White House’s commitment to DEI and inclusive excellence, I have also responded to OMB-2021-0005-0136: Office of Management and Budget’s (OMB) Request for Information (RFI) on Methods and Leading Practices for Advancing Equity and Support for Underserved Communities Through Government as the founder and CEO of woman-owned, minority research Institute and regenerative medicine Company. My prior track record in promoting and valuing DEI has contributed to improving policy making for hESC research in the Federal Government, including the more relaxed NIH funding policy for hESC research, the FDA RMAT Designation Program to accelerate regulatory review and approval and patient access to new stem cell therapies brought by the therapeutic potential of hESC, and enacting the FDA Modernization Act 2.0 that legitimizes alternatives to animal testing for advancing a drug or product to human trials only made possible by the advancements in hESC research to promote the Federal Funding Agencies to open up scores of funding opportunities to move the Federal Government and its scientific research Funding Agencies forward to increase public funding for the new frontiers of stem cell research and regenerative medicine brought by the breakthrough medical innovations of my hESC research, to increase funding for scientific research, to accelerate the development of new treatments, cures, and therapies for many life-threatening and devastating diseases and injuries, and speed up medical breakthroughs to patients and the process of entering into human trials.

The track record of my stem cell research achievements and the richness of my research background have given me the expertise and vision valuable to health science strategies and futures. I will bring the much-needed stem cell research and regenerative medicine expertise essential to the California Stem Cell Research and Cures Act to CIRM leadership, and provide strategic leadership and insight to speed up the development of safe and effective stem cell and gene therapies and increase the likelihood of success of CIRM awards for unmet medical needs. I am confident that this position will allow me to not only advance my career to an executive level traditionally underrepresented in women to further my commitment to promoting DEI and excellence, but also continue to lead the joined effort dedicated to advancing stem cell research from bench to bedside. I believe that my background and expertise make me uniquely suit for this position, and I will be most grateful for your kind assistance and consideration of my application.

Sincerely,

Xuejun H Parsons, PhD.

Founder & CEO/President & Professor of Regenerative Medicine

San Diego Regenerative Medicine Institute (https://www.sdrmi.org) & Xcelthera (https://www.plurixcel.com )

Email: parsons@sdrmi.org, parsons@plurixcel.com, jparsons001@san.rr.com