UCSF faculty receive $13.7M from CIRM for stem cell research

Five UCSF stem cell scientists have received New Faculty grants from the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine, support that will allow them to pursue lines of investigation ultimately aimed at developing treatment strategies for such conditions as cancer, heart disease, tooth regeneration, liver disease and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis.

The UCSF grants, which range from about $2 million to $3 million each, total $13.7 million and are intended to support the scientists in the critical early stages of their careers as independent investigators establishing their own laboratories and research programs. CIRM will provide salary and research support for up to five years, creating a stable environment for the faculty to build innovative and robust stem cell research programs.

"These grants are a tremendous boon to the investigators, but also to the stem cell field overall," says Arnold Kriegstein, MD, PhD, director of the UCSF Institute for Regeneration Medicine. "They will fuel the research of some of the most creative stem cell scientists in the world, allowing them to pursue the significant scientific challenges they have set for themselves."

The grants, announced today, are the latest round of research funds awarded by the Independent Citizens Oversight Committee, which oversees CIRM. The ICOC awarded $59 million in New Faculty grants to research universities throughout California.

The UCSF researchers will use the funds to explore fundamental questions about the way in which embryonic stem cells function, how they are regulated and what molecular steps lead them to specialize as specific types of mature cells, such as liver cells. In each case, they plan to use the knowledge they gain to explore cell-replacement therapies or identify potential drugs to treat diseases.

The UCSF faculty recipients, their research areas, and grant amounts are: