The Stanford University School of Medicine has received $4.1 million to renovate laboratory areas for human embryonic stem cell research and to provide a stem cell training course through the latest round of funding from the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine.
In the CIRM grants announced June 5, Stanford was one of 17 sites to receive funds for shared-facility renovations, and one of six institutions designated to offer stem cell training courses in the state.
This round of grants, worth more than $50 million, brings CIRM to a total of $208 million distributed since the first grants in April 2006.
?We?re hoping our facility will be a dynamic place for people to learn and share ideas about embryonic stem cell research,? said Renee Reijo Pera, PhD, professor of obstetrics and gynecology and director of human stem cell research at Stanford.
Stanford?s shared-facilities grant will support the renovation of 2,500 square feet of off-campus laboratory space to be used by 16 researchers on a rotating basis. Researchers from Stanford or from local educational institutions could reserve times to use the space while working on projects involving non-federally funded human stem cell lines. The grant will also fund 1,211 square feet of laboratory space at a satellite facility that supports the stem cell research efforts.
Stanford will also be one of six institutions to offer CIRM-funded courses to train California researchers in techniques for working with stem cells. The basic training course will run three times per year starting at the end of July. The school will also offer more specialized courses in aspects of working with human embryos and stem cells.
Providing funds for research facilities is part of CIRM?s 10-year plan to bring human embryonic stem cell therapies to California residents. A policy enacted by President George W. Bush prohibits the use of federal funds for research involving stem cell lines created after August 2001. By providing funds to support shared research facilities at California institutions, CIRM will give researchers the lab space and equipment needed to carry out their work with newer stem cell lines.
This round of funding completes CIRM?s first year of grant disbursement. The organization has approved $208 million in total grants, of which Stanford has received more than $30 million, more than any other single institution.
CIRM was established in 2004 when California voters approved Proposition 71, enabling the state to sell bonds that would generate $3 billion over 10 years to fund stem cell research. Those funds had been held up by legal battles with critics until May 16, when the California Supreme Court declined to hear the case and ended the litigation.