From the desk of Paul Pescatello, President and CEO of CURE
The State of Connecticut’s wise decision to provide public funding for stem cell research continues to pay dividends in terms of the science and investment it has attracted to the state. Recently both Yale and UConn announced new stem cell facilities, and in the second year of the state's grant program, requests for funding have increased. Moreover, a recent tour of UK stem cell facilities by an official Connecticut delegation confirms that Connecticut is on the international map for this emerging area of bioscience activity.
A state-of-the-art facility, the new Yale building on Amistad Street will house stem cell research facilities and two other interdisciplinary research programs aiming to harness the latest discoveries in medical science to the advancement of clinical care. (See related story in this issue.) Director Haifan Lin and Associate Director Diane Krause of the Yale Stem Cell Center are continuing to recruit distinguished faculty members, bringing their expertise and experience to the state.
For its part, UConn has announced official approval by its board of trustees of a Stem Cell Center that will unite Jerry Yang’s activities in Storrs with Marc Lalande’s activities at the UConn Health Center. A new building being constructed in Farmington will also house Ren-He Xu’s Stem Cell Core, the stem cell bank supported by state grants to UConn and Wesleyan. (See related story in this issue.)
In September the Connecticut Stem Cell Research Advisory Committee, which oversees the state’s stem cell grant program, received 87 “letters of intent,” or preliminary proposals, up from 75 last year. Sixty of the proposals were from UConn, 15 from Yale, and one from the University of Hartford. But interest was not confined to academic research -- local biotech firms submitted six proposals.
In total the proposals sought $45 million in funding; $10 million will be available this year. (The Connecticut program set aside $100 million, of which $20 million was awarded last year, the first year of the program. For the next eight years, $10 million per year is scheduled to be awarded.)
My recent trip to the UK as part of an official Connecticut delegation confirms that the state’s early decision to commit to stem cell research has put it on the map in this emerging area of science.
Traveling with me as guests of Her Majesty’s Government were Marc Lalande, Ph.D., who is professor and chair, Department of Genetics and Biology, University of Connecticut Health Center; and Joan McDonald, the Commissioner of the Connecticut Department of Economic and Community Development.
Our tour included visits to the University of Newcastle and the University of Edinburgh, as well as several meeting with researchers and regulators in London. The Edinburgh visit featured discussions at the Scottish Centre for Regenerative Medicine, whose director, Professor Ian Wilmut, serves on Connecticut’s Stem Cell Research Peer Review Committee. Prior to the official tour, I also attended a privately-organized stem cell symposium in Edinburgh.
In the UK, seeing new stem cell research facilities and hearing about the fascinating work of researchers, I was struck by both the quality and speed of the research to date. It must be underscored, though, how much basic research is still needed. Many novel therapeutic applications will likely come from this research, but in the short-term stem cell research is likely to have its greatest impact as a means to speed traditional drug discovery.
It was also satisfying to sense the high level of awareness of Connecticut among the stem cell community in the UK, and indeed, among other Europeans I met. There is no question that our StemConn symposium last March made a good impression, underscoring Connecticut’s early championing of this important new area of bioscience.
As I complete this month’s column, I’m delighted to note that Connecticut Innovations has announced the appointment of Peter V. Longo as president and executive director. This is an outstanding choice. The combination of Peter and CI chairman Ned Bowman brings together an effective team at this important organization, whose early-funding of new technologies is a critical dimension of Connecticut bioscience development.
Paul R. Pescatello is President and CEO of CURE.
