$25 Million May Be Given to UC Berkeley for Stem Cell Research

UC Berkeley will likely receive up to $25 million if state grants for stem cell research are approved by a California research institute, state officials said.

The California Institute for Regenerative Medicine, established under Proposition 71, will award up to $262 million dollars to 12 research institutions, including UC Berkeley. The institute will make its final decisions in May.

The proposition states that research institutions have to match at least 20 percent of the money they request from the institute.

UC Berkeley hopes to receive a $25 million dollar grant, promising to match the grant with $53,610,000 of its own money, according to the institute's Web site.

Many universities have requested grants for more than $25 million. Contributing the most of any institution, Stanford University is offering $150 million to match a $50 million grant, said Ellen Rose, interim chief communications officer for the institute.

The institute was established under Proposition 71 by California voters as a response to federal restrictions on embryonic stem cell research, she said.

"Proposition 71 came about after the Bush administration put restrictions on embryonic stem cell research. (The institute's) grant provides a safe haven to these restrictions," Rose said.

With the grant, the campus would be able to construct new laboratories without the need of federal funds and resultant federal restrictions.

"(We would like) to make separate labs where we can do state-supported stem cell work separate from any other federal stem cell research. The bottom line is we need separate facilities," said campus spokesperson Robert Sanders.

Since its establishment in 2005, the institute has granted UC Berkeley more than $7.5 million for stem cell projects, according to the institute's Web site.

With non-restrictive state funding, Sanders said he believes UC Berkeley's stem cell research program will thrive.

"Berkeley is already doing a lot of great work with stem cells, but not necessarily embryonic stem cell research. This (grant) is really going to put us on the map for basic stem cell research," he said. "Stem cells have great potential for therapy, and in learning basic science. If you can find out how embryos develop into tissues, it can help our researches with novel biomedical applications."

Tags: STEM CELL