State Stem Cell Agency Releases $3.9 Million Training Grant to Stanford

Business Wire, June 18, 2009

STANFORD, Calif. -- Citing an easing of financial pressure, the governing board of the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine voted today to release $40.6 million to fund 15 previously approved training programs. Of that total, $3.9 million will go to the Stanford University School of Medicine.

In February, the 29-member board approved the Research Training Program II grants but did not fund them immediately. In March, the board elected to defer funding for one year until the institute’s financial situation stabilized. However, because of a successful state bond offering in April, the board elected to instead begin funding the training program grants on July 1. The grants supplement the first round of research training program funding, given in 2006 and due to expire this year.

Michael Longaker, MD, deputy director of Stanford’s Stem Cell Biology and Regenerative Medicine Institute, is principal investigator of the Stanford training grant, which will fund graduate students, postdoctoral scholars and clinical fellows working in stem cell research labs.

“Our first round of training grants have funded an extremely productive group of young researchers,” said CIRM president Alan Trounson in a prepared statement. “It’s important that we continue supporting these future stem cell scientists who are already making significant contributions to the field.”

In total, Stanford has received $107 million in grants from the state’s stem cell agency.

The Stanford University School of Medicine consistently ranks among the nation’s top 10 medical schools, integrating research, medical education, patient care and community service. For more news about the school, please visit http://mednews.stanford.edu. The medical school is part of Stanford Medicine, which includes Stanford Hospital & Clinics and Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital. For information about all three, please visit http://stanfordmedicine.org/about/news.html.