UCI stem cell research duo named among 'hottest' in O.C.

Brian Cummings and Aileen Anderson (pictured) of UCI’s Sue & Bill Gross Stem Cell Research Center are among this year’s “Hottest 25 People in O.C.,” a designation conferred annually by OC Metro, Orange County’s leading business magazine. The husband and wife were chosen for their research leading to a clinical trial in Switzerland using stem cells to treat spinal cord injury. They and their partners at StemCells Inc. are sharing $20 million recently awarded by the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine to help establish the first human clinical trials in the U.S. “Stem cell research is the newest frontier in science,” Cummings told OC Metro. “So it presents the greatest challenges and the greatest potential for new discoveries. I love the collaborative effort and the ability to work with my wife – there’s a lot to love.”