Novato’s fortress in the battle against age-related disease is about to get a new rampart—maybe.
The Buck Institute for Age Research expects today to be awarded $20.5 million by the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine.
The grant money would be used by the institute to build the its second research facility in a new building next to the administrative office overlooking Highway 101.
The new “CIRM Center of Excellence,” would be used primarily for embryonic stem cell research.
The grant money is part of the $3 billion tax dollars marked for embryonic stem-cell research by California’s Proposition 71, which was passed in 2004 in response to a ban on federal funding for the research. Embryonic stem-cell research is controversial because critics claim destroying embryos terminates people at an early stage of life, while proponents argue the research is essential to find cures for difficult and currently untreatable diseases.
CIRM will announce the recipients of some $262 million – potentially including the Buck Institute –through the Major Facilities Grant program, one of many grant programs designed to promote progress in stem-cell research in California, according to Don Gibbons of CIRM.
“This set of grants is specifically designed to fund the facilities, and not the research itself,” said Gibbons. “Stem-cell research requires different kinds of buildings, so this is to make that research more feasible. Prop 71 said we can spend up to 10 percent of the $3 billion on facilities. There will be (another) series of grants over the next eight to 10 years to fund research … (which) the Buck Institute will be eligible for.”
The Buck Institute received a $4.1 million grant for a embryonic stem-cell research lab.
The grant process involved the Buck Institute’s initial application being chosen as among 12 other successful applicants in January.
The institute’s application was then evaluated by the CIRM Facilities Working Group, which recommended Buck receive grant money.
David Greenburg of the institute’s stem-cell program, who wrote the scientific portion of the grant application, said the institute’s focus on age-disease research made its area of inquiry unique.
“The proposal is to use stem cells to study the biology of the aging process and to do basic research sorting out the potential applications for stem cells to treat diseases (related to) aging,” he said.
Greenburg said the funding was targeted towards facilities for embryonic-derived stem-cell research due to Prop 71’s focus on federally unfunded research.
Prop 71 does not offer funding for facilities that could be used for research on adult stem-cells or alternative sources of embryonic stem-cells—such as one example involving reprogrammed adult skin cells—because there is no federal ban on funding for such experimentation.
The institute’s facility itself would require approximately $21 million more dollars to be completed, according to Kris Rebillot of the institute.
“The plans are ready to go, and we have the land entitlement,” she said. “It’ll be a question of raising the money.”
According to Gibbons, the grants, once awarded, will be signed by the end of July.
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Novato Resident wrote on May 7, 2008 4:29 PM: