UCI dedicates more resources to stem cell research

UC Irvine has dedicated five new faculty positions to its stem cell biology program, representing a commitment of about $17 million over the next 10 years. The new recruits, to be hired in the School of Biological Sciences, will be housed in the new stem cell research building (rendition shown), which UCI currently is raising money to construct. The new faculty members will focus on basic and discovery research, and on using stem cells to treat disease. They will help create an environment in which basic research can be translated into treatments for a wide variety of human diseases and disorders. Peter Donovan and Hans Keirstead, who co-direct the UCI Sue and Bill Gross Stem Cell Research Center, have pioneered basic research on stem cells and development of stem cell-based treatments. To date, UCI has garnered $17.5 million in funding from the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine and ranks fourth in CIRM funding.