SAN FRANCISCO, Oct. 14, 2003 — Since President Bush's announcement in August 2001 limiting federal funding of Stem Cell research, leading research institutions, have turned to private funding to retain the best research talent and keep pace with research progress. And many private citizens are heeding the call. "Without private support, this nation's leading researchers are drawn to continue their research elsewhere," says, Dr. Jeffrey Bluestone, University of California, San Francisco (UCSF), Interim Director of the Developmental and Stem Cell Biology Program. Since the Bush announcement, UCSF lost one of its leading Stem Cell researchers, Dr. Roger Pedersen to Cambridge University in England, where public funding for stem cell research is more generous and far less restricted.
Fueled by the goal to keep the world's leading researchers and their breakthrough discoveries here in the U.S., private donations are on the rise. The Stem Cell Biology Program at UCSF has recently received grant support from Mr. Mouli Cohen to help launch an FDA-approved "core research facility," a key component in translating the laboratory advancements made in stem cell research into therapeutic applications. Mr. Cohen's contribution is targeted to move the FDA Approved facility into self-sufficiency within the year and represents an entrepreneurial approach to funding that incorporates a business plan approach to stem cell research.
"The stem cell research being conducted at UCSF is producing breakthroughs with tremendous potential for practical therapeutic applications," explains Mr. Cohen. "The most responsible kind of philanthropy we can provide is to help fund the support and translation facilities that will speed the most promising breakthroughs from the laboratory bench into clinical human trials."
Current studies at UCSF involve both animal and human stem cells and are paving the way for treatments of various diseases and conditions, such as diabetes, cardiovascular disease, Parkinson's disease, Alzheimer's disease and spinal cord injury. One such study, conducted by Didier Stainier, PhD, has discovered a "master" gene for myocardial, or heart muscle, cells in zebrafish. If human heart cells have a similar gene, it may hold the key for a human embryonic stem cell to become a beating heart cell. Therapeutic control of this master gene could allow researchers to cultivate and harvest such myocardial cells then transplant them into people with failing hearts.
Susan Fisher, PhD, another researcher at UCSF is developing new methods critical to enable laboratory research to progress into human clinical trials. Her lab has shown that stem cells can be cultivated in a system that uses human cells exclusively. This is critical because transfer of stem cells into patients will require that the cells have been grown without exposure to non-human cells and proteins.
Several of the UCSF studies have achieved significant laboratory milestones and are now waiting to move into clinical trials. With the help of Mr. Cohen, the new core facility will be one of the only facilities able to grow and study embryonic and adult stem cells as well as other cellular products under conditions that can be used in patients with a variety of diseases. The new core facility will also help further the research of treatments for diabetes and the development of potential vaccines for various cancers including colon, prostate and brain tumors. Stem cell research and therapies for heart disease and HIV also are poised to enter clinical trials after further development in the core facility. "The continued growth of private funding resources provides the support we need to continue the most promising Stem Cell research," says Dr. Bluestone. "We couldn't be more pleased with the recognition we're receiving and the practical emphasis Mr. Cohen provides. The United States is a leading source of breakthrough developments in stem cell research. Private donations are a major source of funding that will keep us on pace."
Mr. Cohen focuses his philanthropy on improving the welfare of children through local, national and international programs. He has committed millions of dollars to support therapeutic programs for California children living with cancer, expansion of vision care programs for third-world children, and educational programs focused on the arts and social sciences. His grants are monitored with evaluation protocols that gauge their effectiveness and offer operational options that help these programs adapt to changing program environments. More information is available at www.moulicohen.com
To learn more about UCSF's Developmental and Stem Cell Biology Program visit or contact Erik Rausch at 415/502-1758 or Email.
CONTACT:
Nancy Ryan
818.749.7478
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