Stem cell agency awards $45 million in grants
California approved its first state-financed grants for stem cell research today despite lawsuits and financing difficulties that threatened to stymie the Prop. 71 ballot initiative passed by voters in 2004.
Officials for the California Institute for Stem Cell Research authorized a modest package of 72 grants totaling $45 million over the next two years. Researchers at 20 institutions, most of them affiliated with the University of California, will carry out the research in labs throughout the state.
Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger appeared at a meeting of the institute's governing board at a Burlingame hotel to announce the grants, which he called a signal of "great hope" to disease sufferers.
The governor authorized a $150 million state loan last year to keep the stem cell enterprise going in the face of litigation challenging the constitutional validity of the program. Eventually, officials hope to finance up to $350 million a year in grants in a decade-long effort that envisions a total $3 billion in allocations.
Most of the first research projects announced today involve discovering the fundamental properties of stem cells derived from early-stage human embryos. The embryos are typically left over from infertility treatment and were donated for research purposes.
Scientists want to find better ways to isolate the flexible stem cells from the embryos so they can be turned into any of the myriad cell types that comprise the human body, particularly those that fall prey to disease such as diabetes and neurodegenerative disorders.
In the Bay Area, UC campuses in San Francisco, Berkeley and Santa Cruz were among the big winners, along with Stanford University. Stanford's scientists drew 11 grants, the largest single total on the list revealed Thursday during a two-day meeting of the stem cell agency's governing board, called the Independent Citizens Oversight Committee.
>snip<
link
Wow! I think this is really exciting news.
I hope other states will follow Califonia's lead, since stem cell research offers much hope for the future alleviation of many diseases that currently plague humanity. Well done, California!
Stem cell agency awards $45 million in grants 
Linear Mode
Main
Extras
