Stanford Report, February 21, 2007

Stanford gets $7 million in state stem cell grants

BY AMY ADAMS

Stanford researchers received more than $7 million in the first round of research grants approved by the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine. Stanford faculty received 12 grants, more than any other individual institution.

On Feb. 16, CIRM approved a total of 72 grants to 20 academic and nonprofit research centers totaling $45 million over two years. These grants are intended to encourage scientists who are just entering the field of embryonic stem cell research, or to promote new projects for those already involved in the research.

"Receiving such a large number of these grants highlights the excellence of the research taking place at Stanford," said Roel Nusse, PhD, professor of developmental biology and chair of the research subcommittee of the Program in Regenerative Medicine. He said the grants will allow the faculty members to move forward with promising embryonic stem cell research.

The Stanford projects will investigate wide-ranging aspects of embryonic stem cell biology, from better understanding the cells to developing new therapies.

Some projects will focus on mechanisms of encouraging embryonic stem cells to mature into adult cell types that can be used in therapies, while others will look for ways of effectively delivering these cells to damaged tissues.

Other projects take on the problem of generating new embryonic stem cells, such as the research from Thomas Wandless, PhD, assistant professor of chemical and systems biology. He received funding to develop a strategy for deriving stem cells from differentiated human cells.

Mark Kay, MD, PhD, professor of pediatrics and of genetics, has a long-standing interest in approaches to gene therapy and will be turning his expertise to embryonic stem cells. He said that the ability to add new genes to embryonic stem cells, or silence genes in these cells, through gene therapy will serve two purposes. First, researchers can use the technique to better understand the basic biology of stem cells. Additionally, the technique could be used to modify embryonic stem cells for therapies.

"There may be stem cell applications where it's important to have the cells be differentiated, but it also may be important to be using inserted genes to treat disease," Kay said.

Additional grants propose novel methods of imaging transplanted stem cells as they travel to injured tissues. One of these grants, awarded to assistant professor Phillip Yang, MD, will follow the fate of stem cells injected into a damaged heart. Another, awarded to assistant professor Joseph Wu, MD, PhD, proposes to track transplanted stem cells to evaluate how and why those cells form tumors called teratomas.

CIRM was established in 2004 when state residents approved Proposition 71, enabling the state to sell bonds that would generate $3 billion over 10 years to fund stem cell research. Those funds have been held up by legal battles. CIRM was able to award grants to fund training programs last year by selling bond anticipatory notes to six philanthropic agencies. Stanford was one of 16 institutions to receive a training grant in that round of funding.

Although the legal fight over the bonds continues, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger in November authorized a $150 million loan to CIRM that is being used to support the grants announced Feb. 16 as well as two additional rounds of grants that will be announced in March and June.

"Patients and families around the globe will take heart that human embryonic stem cell research is finally beginning to receive the funding it needs and deserves," said Robert Klein, chairman of CIRM's independent oversight committee.

Stanford researchers receiving CIRM grants are:

  • John Cooke, MD, professor of medicine, embryonic cell regeneration in cerebrovascular ischemia—role of nitric oxide, $658,125
  • Mark Kay, MD, PhD, professor of pediatrics and of genetics, novel vectors for gene transfer into human embryonic stem cells, $640,642
  • Seung Kim, MD, PhD, associate professor of developmental biology, patient-specific cells with nuclear transfer, $656,074
  • Gregory Kovacs, PhD professor of electrical engineering, technology for human embryonic stem cell-derived cardiomyocyte differentiation and optimization of graft-host integration in adult myocardium, $634,287
  • Calvin Kuo, MD, PhD, assistant professor of medicine, differentiation of human embryonic stem cells to intestinal fates, $578,943
  • Susan McConnell, PhD, professor of biological sciences, optimization of guidance response in human embryonic stem cell-derived midbrain dopaminergic neurons in development and disease, $633,170
  • Julien Sage, PhD, assistant professor of pediatrics, functions of RB family proteins in human embryonic stem cells, $520,777
  • Thomas Wandless, PhD, assistant professor of chemical and systems biology, reprogramming differentiated human cells to a pluripotent state, $647,681
  • Kenneth Weinberg, MD, professor of pediatrics, embryonic stem cell-derived thymic epithelial cells, $658,057
  • Joseph Wu, MD, PhD, assistant professor of medicine, in vivo imaging of human embryonic stem cell derivatives and tumorigenicity, $658,123
  • Joanna Wysocka, PhD, assistant professor of chemical and systems biology, role of chromatin modifiers in regulating human embryonic stem cell pluripotency, $658,126
  • Phillip Yang, MD, assistant professor of medicine, in vivo molecular magnetic resonance imaging of human embryonic stem cells in murine model of myocardial infarction, $658,125.