New York Stem Cell Foundation and California’s State Stem Cell Agency Sign Agreement for Collaboration To Advance Stem Cell Research toward Cures

The California Institute for Regenerative Medicine (CIRM), the state’s stem cell agency, and the New York Stem Cell Foundation (NYSCF) have signed an agreement that should foster collaboration between researchers funded by the two organizations and accelerate the pace of advancement in the field of regenerative medicine.

CIRM and NYSCF are laying the foundation for joint research to advance stem cell therapies for treatment of some of today’s most debilitating diseases. Disease-focused research is accelerated by the sort of multidisciplinary collaborations that the agreement will promote. The agreement will make it easier for researchers in California and those affiliated with NYSCF to obtain joint funding to broaden the potential pool of expertise that can be applied toward research in a specific area.

It is expected that researchers on both coasts ultimately may be invited to form teams that will apply jointly for funding through a process that builds upon routine CIRM and NYSCF procedures. For those that are approved, CIRM will fund the California researchers and NYSCF will fund the team members outside of California.

“Stem cell research is rapidly growing globally and one of CIRM’s primary goals is to accelerate the field by linking Californians with the best scientists in the world in highly productive and collaborative teams,” said Dr.AlanTrounson, president of CIRM. “Our colleagues in New York can now also be partners with us in this new endeavor to bring treatments and cures to a broad spectrum of disease and injury.”

“We strongly believe that collaboration is essential to foster the kind of groundbreaking stem cell research that will ultimately find cures for the most intractable diseases of our time,” said Susan L. Solomon, NYSCF’s founder and CEO. “We are delighted to partner with CIRM and California scientists and look forward to a long, productive relationship.”

“The California-New York Foundation collaboration leverages top stem cell researchers on both coasts to drive new medical discoveries for patients suffering from chronic disease,” said Robert Klein, chairman of CIRM’s governing board. “Stem cell research is a national and a global challenge; building a network among U.S. states and organizations that have shown leadership in the field complements the network we have built with seven partner nations and honors our mandate to accelerate the therapies that will relieve their suffering.”

CIRM currently has similar agreements with the Cancer Stem Cell Consortium of Canada, the State of Victoria in Australia, the JST in Japan, the MICINN in Spain, the MRC in the United Kingdom, the BMBF in Germany, MOST in China and the state of Maryland.

About CIRM CIRM was established in 2005 with the passage of Proposition 71, the California Stem Cell Research and Cures Act. The statewide ballot measure, which provided $3 billion in funding for stem cell research at California universities and research institutions, was overwhelmingly approved by voters, and called for the establishment of an entity to make grants and provide loans for stem cell research, research facilities, and other vital research opportunities. To date, the CIRM governing board has approved 345 research and facility grants totaling more than $1 billion, making CIRM the largest source of funding for human embryonic stem cell research in the world. For more information, please visit www.cirm.ca.gov.

The New York Stem Cell Foundation (NYSCF) was founded in 2005 to accelerate cures for debilitating diseases through stem cell research. The Foundation conducts cutting edge research at its own independent laboratory and provides grants to outstanding investigators at other research institutions. NYSCF also invests in the next generation of stem cell researchers through its Post-doctoral Fellowship Program and its Innovator Awards Program, which support exceptionally promising early career scientists. The Foundation plays a vital role in educating both scientists and the public about stem cell research through an active annual program of conferences and symposia. For more information, visit www.nyscf.org.