Stem cell grants awarded

            NEW YORK - Newswise stated the Tri-Institutional Stem Cell Initiative - biomedical research institutions Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center , Rockefeller University , and Weill Medical College of Cornell University - announced the first wave of stem cell research to be funded through a $50 million gift from Starr Foundation. Funding was given to 17 projects totaling $6.7 million over two years. The Initiative specifically sought applications for support of highly collaborative new research in the stem cell arena; all of the projects involve collaborations among scientists from at least two of the three institutions. They will explore basic biology or therapeutic potential of stem cells derived from humans or model organisms. The goal is to support stem cell research broadly, including studies of human embryonic stem cells (registered by the federal government and those that aren’t) as well as adult, fetal, and cancer stem cells, plus cells from experimental animals. “We are very pleased with the breadth and quality of these projects,” said Kathleen Pickering, executive director of the Initiative. “The collaborative nature of these grants provides new opportunities for faculty to work together across the three institutions on diverse projects, ranging from basic research to those that lay the groundwork for therapeutic approaches,” she said. The review and selection process for projects included researchers from each of the Tri-Institutional partners, four external reviewers with background and expertise in various aspects of stem cell sciences, and executive committee of the Initiative. Applying Guidelines for Stem Cell Research of the National Academy of Sciences, some projects selected for funding under the Initiative will be reviewed by an Embryonic Stem Cell Research Oversight Committee (ESCRO) because they entail use of human embryonic stem cells.