Stem cells’ promise hits funding wall in Michigan

The promise seemed immeasurable -- a science that could not only defeat some of the most deadly human diseases but also rebuild a teetering state economy.

But four years after voters paved the way for embryonic stem cell research in Michigan, the promise of a new day in life sciences, and in particular, regenerative medicine -- the field fueled by stem cell research -- remains largely unfulfilled because of a lack of funding from private investors and the state.

Meanwhile, other states -- from California, which sets aside $300 million a year for stem cell research, to Ohio, which has focused millions of dollars in economic development funds on similar research -- are pulling ahead in the field, economic development experts and researchers say.

"Other states have made moves to make sure they're players in that space. Michigan has not," said Stephen Rapundalo, executive director of Ann Arbor-based MichBio, a biosciences industry trade association.

MICHIGAN: Michigan has huge hopes for tiny stem cells

With the economy at a tipping point in 2008, the timing of Proposal 2, which lifted the 30-year ban on embryonic stem cell lines for research by a 53%-47% margin, couldn't have been worse, he said.

Wayne State University professor Allen Goodman agrees.

In September 2008, about a month before the vote, Goodman estimated that a 1% increase in the biotech industry, sparked by new research, would create 797 direct and indirect jobs for a $51-million boost in payroll.

"Things were bad when I wrote it, and they got worse," Goodman said.

Meanwhile, tectonic shifts in another set of numbers -- demographics -- underscore a need for the most cutting-edge medicine.

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Stem cells' promise hits funding wall in Michigan