September 9, 2005

(SACRAMENTO, Calif.) — UC Davis scientists interested in pursuing careers in stem cell research will be supported by $2.6 million training grant from the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine (CIRM), the state agency that oversees stem cell research.

Today's grant announcement was among the first by the new agency and its Independent Citizens' Oversight Committee (ICOC), which were established in November 2004 by California voters as part of the state's $3 billion stem cell program.

UC Davis' three-year grant is designed to support a total of 12 pre-doctoral, post-doctoral students and clinical fellows in a state-of-the-art, multidisciplinary training program that will help them become technically more skilled in stem cell research and in the associated ethical, legal and social implications.

The UC Davis proposal emphasized its collaborative, team-training approach to helping young scientists obtain the experience and practice needed for stem cell research. CIRM reviewers were particularly impressed by a proposed curriculum that went beyond basic science and standard laboratory courses and included the development of leadership skills.

The new training program brings together a multidisciplinary group of mentors drawn from the School of Medicine and other schools and departments within the university, including veterinary medicine, engineering, biological sciences, agriculture and environmental sciences, law and management.

“Our training program brings together some of our most talented young scientists who are interested in stem cells with some of our most dedicated and experienced faculty members,” said Fred Meyers, senior associate dean for academic affairs and chair of the Department of Internal Medicine. “This grant will enhance the important work we're already doing at UC Davis and add to the potential for breakthrough discoveries in regenerative medicine and stem cell therapy.”

One of the strengths of UC Davis' proposed training program is its biomedical engineering capabilities, which allow in vivo, non-invasive techniques for tracking transplanted cells. In addition, the National Primate Research Center on campus, one of just eight in the nation, offers the prospects for unique collaborative opportunities and nonhuman primate studies that don't exist anywhere else in the state.

Meyers acknowledged that questions remain about when the state funds actually will be available for Davis or any of the 15 institutions that won approval for their proposals. Several lawsuits against the state agency are holding up plans to sell bonds for the $3 billion in research funds promised by the original voter-approved initiative.

“UC Davis will begin recruiting its 12 stem cell trainees as soon as the funding issue is resolved,” he said. “In the meantime, however, it's still full speed ahead. Our faculty is as busy as ever with some very promising research efforts.”

UC Davis' new Center for Pediatric Stem and Progenitor Cell Translational Research recently received a $6 million grant from the National Institutes of Health for studies aimed at finding eventual cellular therapies for diseases such as those affecting the heart, lungs and kidneys of children. Earlier this year, the university also established its Center for Regenerative Science and Therapies, which is now the focal point for stem cell research throughout the campus and helps build upon UC Davis' existing strengths in neuroscience and aging, cancer and immunobiology, and vascular and metabolic disease.