REVOLUTIONARY THERAPIES: HOW THE CALIFORNIA STEM CELL PROGRAM SAVED LIVES, EASED SUFFERING - AND CHANGED THE FACE OF MEDICINE FOREVER PDF

For author Don C Reed, father of a paralyzed son, the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine (CIRM) is the greatest medical advance since penicillin.

REVOLUTIONARY THERAPIES is Reed's third book about the 3 billion stem cell program.

Voted into law in November 2004, CIRM is now running out of money.

Should its funding be renewed? Thereby hangs a tale, or rather several dozen of them, for each of the book's 71 short chapters is framed by a yarn or vignette.

The factual background is accurate, vetted by the scientists, but Reed's goal is clearly both entertainment and education.

A favorite example is a little girl named Evie, imprisoned in a plastic bubble: her body's immune system did not work, and she would die outside. She joined a CIRM clinical trial ... Imagine how Evie's parents felt — when she got well.

Some stories are comical, like "How Stem Cell Research Saved My Car"; others surprising, like the comparison between politics and the giant crocodile Gustave; others are tragic or inspiring: but all point to this:

More than 100 million Americans suffer chronic disease, causing mountains of medical debt — and the only way to reduce that expense (3 trillion last year) — is cure.

Author: Don C Reed