Chow's resignation leaves opening on Md. Stem Cell Commission

BYLINE: Karen Buckelew

Biotechnology industry veteran Dr. Jack C. Chow has resigned from the Maryland Stem Cell Commission, leaving new Gov. Martin O'Malley to appoint his replacement. Former Gov. Robert L. Ehrlich Jr.

last summer appointed Chow to the 15-member commission, which is charged with administering $15 million in state funds to scientific researchers working in the stem cell field. Chow, whose resignation was effective Feb. 1, was one of four commission members appointed by Ehrlich. Chow was the biotechnology expert the statute establishing the commission requires the governor to appoint. He once served as assistant director general for HIV, AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria for the World Health Organization. "As I will be pursuing other opportunities and taking on more responsibilities in the coming year, I find it necessary to leave the commission," Chow wrote in his resignation letter. Chow's employer is listed as CRV Capital LLC in official documents, according to the Maryland Technology Development Corp., or TEDCO, which administers the stem cell fund. No further information on CRV Capital was available. Telephone messages left at Chow's home in Clarksburg were not returned. The appointee simply was too busy to make the stem cell commission's schedule of meetings, said commission Chair Linda Powers, a managing director and co-founder at Bethesda-based venture capital firm Toucan Capital Corp. "Jack Chow is on the road all the time," Powers said. The commission's schedule has been unusually demanding as members rushed to dispense the fund's first round of money in order to show legislators what they have accomplished, Powers added. For O'Malley to appoint Chow's replacement, "there is no particular timeline," said Jack Schwartz, Maryland assistant attorney general. Schwartz is the attorney general's appointee to the commission. O'Malley made encouraging stem cell research in Maryland part of his platform as he ran for governor last year. This legislative session, he has proposed increasing the stem cell fund's budget to $25 million. "We'll move quickly to make that appointment," said O'Malley spokesman Rick Abbruzzese. "Our primary focus right now is pushing through the $25 million in fiscal year 2008 for stem cell research. " The House Appropriations Committee has approved the $10 million funding increase, but a Senate subcommittee voted against it March 12. Schwartz's appointment to the stem cell commission also had been in question, as he was an appointee of former Attorney General J. Joseph Curran Jr. New Attorney General Douglas F. Gansler could have selected a new representative of his office to advise the stem cell commission on matters of law, but has chosen not to, Schwartz said. The full commission meets this month to make its final decision on which scientific projects to fund this year.