Continuing to lead the way in developing key scientific advances in the area of stem cell research, University of California researchers today were awarded $42 million in 17comprehensive research grants from the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine (CIRM).

The 29-member Independent Citizens Oversight Committee (ICOC), governing board of the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine, approved 29 Comprehensive Research Grants for approximately $74.6 million over four years, to accomplished stem cell investigators at academic and non-profit research centers throughout the state. The grants were selected from 70 applications from researchers at 23 institutions, who sought more than $175 million in CIRM funding.

The grants for five UC campuses will go towards research in a wide range of areas including, Parkinson’s disease, heart disease, stroke, Alzheimer’s and blood disorders.

“We are grateful to the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine for its generous support and its faith in our research mission,” University of California President Robert C. Dynes said. “For many years, the University of California has been a global pioneer in stem cell studies. The Institute's decision to invest in UC biomedical investigations with such vast potential will cement California's leadership in this critical area.”

In additional action on Friday, the ICOC awarded two additional SEED grants (Scientific Excellence through Exploration and Development), totaling $1.1 million, both to UC researchers. The first 72 SEED grants, for researchers new to the field of stem cell research, were awarded in February, with 36 of the awards (more than $20 million) going to UC researchers. In addition to conducting research, UC campuses are actively engaged in training the next generation of stem cell researchers, with eight UC campuses in the midst of carrying out education programs funded by CIRM training grants, which were funded in April 2006.

CIRM Comprehensive Research Grants for UC campuses:

UC Davis School of Medicine scientists will receive $4.8 million for a pair of grants that will examine which cells are best suited to becoming liver cells for the repair of damaged livers, and how to differentiate human embryonic stem cells into becoming the type of cells needed to regenerate kidneys damaged by disease. UCLA researchers at the Institute for Stem Cell Biology and Medicine were awarded more than $5 million in funding for two grants which will be used to fund research on neural cell repair and therapeutic strategies to target HIV. UC Irvine scientists were awarded $7.4 million from CIRM for three projects. The UC Irvine projects will focus on mitochondria, the creation of cells to treat spinal cord injuries, and the genetic manipulation of human embryonic stem cells. UCSF received more awards than any other institution, with seven projects being awarded more than $17 million to use human embryonic stem cells to explore treatment strategies for a variety of disorders, including heart disease, stroke, Parkinson’s disease, multiple sclerosis, epilepsy and blood disorders. UC San Diego received three grants totaling more than $7.5 million. The UC San Diego grants will go towards research in the areas of Alzheimer’s disease, ischemia-induced paraplegia, and mechanisms that maintain genetic stability in human embryonic stem cells.

Proposition 71

Proposition 71 funding is helping to greatly expand stem cell research at the University of California. Passed by voters in 2004, Prop 71 authorizes a $3 billion bond program over the next ten years to fund stem cell research in California. While the state’s ability to issue bonds is currently on hold because of litigation, the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine (CIRM), formed as a result of the passage of Prop 71, has moved ahead in providing significant funding for stem cell research through loans authorized by the Governor and by private philanthropists. Prop 71 also gives priority to funding research that cannot be done with federal funds (such as human embryonic stem cell research on lines produced after the 2001 Presidential funding restriction).

For more information:

Davis: www.research.ucdavis.edu/home.cfm?id=SCR,9

Irvine: http://stemcell.uci.edu

UCLA: http://www.iscbm.ucla.edu

San Francisco: http://stemcellfacts.ucsf.edu

San Diego: http://stemcells.ucsd.edu

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