GOP presidential contender Rick Perry pushed a bill through the Texas Legislature this summer that sets up his doctor’s company to become the first state-approved adult stem cell bank—as he was being experimentally treated with his own stem cells to alleviate back pain, NBC News reports. The bill could lead to a windfall for Celltex Therapeutics Corp., the new Houston firm co-owned by Stanley Jones, the doctor who injected the Texas governor with his cells starting in late June. The Texas bill authorizes a state commission to establish rules for the operation of one stem cell bank, but a Perry spokesman said it was “not related” to Celltex’s activities and that “the governor is interested in innovative medical procedures that cure people.” But after signing a $30 million licensing agreement with RNL Bio, both companies have begun offering their services in Texas.
