UCSB receives $3.2 million stem cell grant ...(ngineering said Michael Witherell Vice C...)

The mission of the center is to foster interdisciplinary stem cell research and teaching; to support collaboration and exchange of ideas among a wide range of disciplines; and to provide a platform for growth in the emerging field of regenerative medicine. UCSB has entered into a collaborative agreement with five institutions to form the Southern California Stem Cell Scientific Collaboration (SC3), which will allow for shared expertise and facilities. Multiple collaborations with California biotechnology companies, already under way, will result in rapid translation and application of the research.

Renovation on parts of three floors will accommodate the following three program elements:

• Space for collaborative work with James Thomson, a preeminent stem cell scientist and adjunct professor at UCSB, who is increasing collaborative research with UCSB molecular biologists. Thomson was the first to isolate human embryonic stem cells, in 1998, and has continued to be a leader in the field of stem cell research, most recently when he showed that human skin cells can be reprogrammed to a pluripotent state. Thomson is establishing a satellite laboratory at UCSB, while maintaining his position as the John D. MacArthur Professor of Anatomy at the School of Medicine and Public Health, and Director of Regenerative Medicine of the Morgridge Institute, at the University of Wisconsin, Madison.
• Space for two new distinguished faculty members who will hold the Ruth Garland Chair, in the area of molecular mechanisms, and the Mellichamp Chair, in the area of bioengineering.
• Renovation of space for core facilities. These include an innovative Deep Sequencing Core, equipment rooms, meeting rooms, and offices. The Deep Sequencing Core will house a high throu
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