Biotech milestone: L.A. region to benefit from stem cell funds.LAST month scientific history was made when the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine The California Institute for Regenerative Medicine (CIRM) was created by California's Proposition 71 (2004), which authorized it to issue $3 billion in grants, funded by bonds, over ten years for embryonic stem cell and other biomedical research. , or what many refer to as the state's stem cell stem cell In living organisms, an undifferentiated cell that can produce other cells that eventually make up specialized tissues and organs. There are two major types of stem cells, embryonic and adult. organization, gave out its first-ever grants to institutions throughout the state. The grants" stated purpose is to allow these institutions to begin training young and aspiring researchers in the sorts of cutting-edge stem cell techniques that will lead to medical advances that this branch of research promises. The institute is in charge of dispersing the $3 billion in funding provided it by the passage of the California Stem Cell Research and Cures Initiative in November of 2004. Los Angeles scored big, with more institutions and more money coming here than any other metropolitan area in the state. Recipients included my own Keck School of Medicine of USC The Keck School of Medicine is the medical school at the University of Southern California. Founded in 1885 as the USC College of Medicine, it was closed in 1921 and reopened in 1928 as the USC School of Medicine. and its affiliated Childrens Hospital Los Angeles, as well as Caltech and UCLA UCLA University of California at Los Angeles UCLA University Center for Learning Assistance (Illinois State University) UCLA University of Carrollton, TX and Lower Addison, TX . USC An abbreviation for U.S. Code. received a 3-year, $3.2 million stem cell training grant while Childrens Hospital received $2.4 million, UCLA received $3.75 million and Caltech $2.3 million. So why is this historic? First, the large number of grants handed out to L.A.-area institutions speaks highly of the research being conducted here. The research community in Los Angeles, and indeed the entire region, stands to benefit from this funding and the scientific breakthroughs it's expected to spawn. The Keck School's training grant, for instance, will be used to educate graduate students, as well as post-doctoral and clinical faellows. A team of the institutions' scientists will come together to teach two new courses, one of them being a joint course with Childrens Hospital and the California Institute of Technology California Institute of Technology, at Pasadena, Calif.; originally for men, became coeducational in 1970; founded 1891 as Throop Polytechnic Institute; called Throop College of Technology, 1913–20. in stem cell biology. The ability to pool resources with Childrens Hospital and Caltech is an opportunity to get in on the ground floor of the new developments related to human embryonic stem cell Embryonic stem cells (ES cells) are stem cells derived from the inner cell mass of an early stage embryo known as a blastocyst. Human embryos reach the blastocyst stage 4-5 days post fertilization, at which time they consist of 50-150 cells. ES cells are pluripotent. research and the clinical potential of this research. The awarding of these grants to leading California academic institutions will certainly serve as a stimulus to stem cell research and recruitment efforts in Los Angeles and will open the door to a whole new arena of research and clinical development in the Southern California area. Secondly, the grant announcements show that the institute is serious about its duty. Despite lawsuits intended to diminish the governing body's role in dispersing funds, the Independent Citizen's Oversight Committee that oversees the institute's operations made a statement about the importance of continuing these efforts when it voted to award these grants. While the funds for the new grants are tied up by the ongoing court battle, the promise the awards are making to California's voters is a loud and vigorous one. While regions around San Diego and the San Francisco Bay Area “Bay Area” redirects here. For other uses, see Bay Area (disambiguation). The San Francisco Bay Area, colloquially known as the Bay Area or The Bay have become founts of biotech research, Los Angeles continues to search for a focal point focal point n. See focus. . We now have an opportunity to use these grants--and the attention and prestige they carry--to help jump-start the biotech industry in Los Angeles. Dr. Brian E. Henderson is dean of the Keck School of Medicine of USC. |
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