UC Davis receives state's first stem cell funds
Money earmarked to train the next generation of stem cell scientists

UC Davis is among 16 nonprofit institutions around the state receiving the first stem cell grant funding from California's Institute for Regenerative Medicine (CIRM) since the agency was created by the passage of Proposition 71 in 2004.

CIRM distributed nearly $900,000 to UC Davis for a new and comprehensive program designed specifically to train young physician/scientists in stem cell research. The funding represents the first year of a three-year, $2.6 million grant awarded to UC Davis last fall by the agency. The funds, which had been delayed by litigation challenging the state's stem cell efforts, were drawn from the sale of $14 million in bond anticipation notes.

The grant will support 12 pre- and post-doctoral students and clinical fellows in a multidisciplinary program to help them become more technically skilled and knowledgeable in stem cell research and its related ethical, legal and social implications.

"This is great news," said Fred Meyers, senior associate dean for academic affairs and chair of the department of internal medicine. "It means we can now start training more young researchers and physician scientists to better understand and advance this exciting area. We plan to have these talented individuals working alongside some of our most dedicated and experienced faculty members. It's a program that clearly adds to the potential for breakthrough discoveries in regenerative medicine and stem cell therapy."

UC Davis' training program emphasizes a collaborative, team approach to helping young researchers obtain the experience and practice needed to successfully work with stem cells. It consists of mentors from the School of Medicine, as well as from veterinary medicine, engineering, biological sciences, agriculture and environmental sciences, law and management. The new program encourages interaction among trainees from different fields, and it also includes collaboration and training with researchers from UC Merced.

The project adds to the number of stem cell research activities already under way at UC Davis. Last fall, the National Institutes of Health awarded $6 million to fund a Center of Excellence in Translational Human Stem Cell Research at the university, one of only two such centers in the nation. The new center is focused on exploring stem and progenitor cell therapies for the treatment of childhood diseases including those that affect the blood and kidneys.

That research is complemented by the university's biomedical engineering capabilities, which allow researchers to use non-invasive techniques for monitoring and tracking transplanted cells within living organisms. These state-of-the-art tools will help physicians design safer clinical trials for testing stem cell therapies in humans.

Meyers noted that Proposition 71, with its $3 billion in voter-approved funding, helped establish California as a hub for stem cell research.

"Now that funding is actually becoming available," said Meyers, "the state and institutions like UC Davis will be even more attractive to scientists interested in this important work."