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Posted on Thursday, 8 of May , 2008
ALBANY
Nearly $109 million in new state funding is being made
available to support stem cell research initiatives in New York, according to an
announcement Thursday by Gov. David Paterson. The funding represents the second
round of available funding from the state’s 11-year, $600 million stem cell
research initiative that was approved as part of last year’s state budget.
Four Requests for Applications (RFAs) issued Thursday invite proposals from
in-state research institutions for stem cell research activities that encourage
collaborations among scientists, facilitate the acquisition and development of
specialized equipment, and support researcher-initiated and targeted stem cell
research.“This new funding will strengthen and revitalize New York’s biomedical
research industry and potentially help thousands of New Yorkers who suffer
debilitating diseases, including Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, diabetes and cancer,”
said Paterson who played a leading role in the development and implementation of
the state’s stem cell initiative while he was Lieutenant Governor.The first
awards – totaling nearly $15 million – were made to 25 research institutions in
January. Those grants focused on increasing the capacity of research
institutions in New York State to engage in stem cell research. Paterson said
the majority of New Yorkers support embryonic stem cell research, as
demonstrated by a 2006 Zogby International poll which found that 84 percent of
New Yorkers support embryonic stem cell research. Nearly 70 percent of those
polled expressed support for state funding as a way of countering President
Bush’s policy restricting federal funding to research that only uses human
embryonic stem cell lines in existence as of Aug. 9, 2001.
The grants supported by the $109 million are projected to be awarded in October
2008. With this funding, New York’s investment in stem cell science will be
surpassed only by the state of California, which started its stem cell program
four years earlier.
The new RFAs seek proposals to broadly stimulate stem cell research through:
–Consortia Planning Grants—to encourage collaborations among new and established
stem cell investigators within and between New York State institutions and in
partnership with non-New York State investigators and corporations.
–Facilities and Equipment Grants—to support the establishment and operation of
multi-institutional core facilities and specialized equipment to maximize the
expertise, efficiency, and quality of stem cell research.
–Investigator-Initiated Research Projects and Innovative, Developmental or
Exploratory Activities (IDEA) in Stem Cell Research–to support investigations of
stem cell biology that will increase understanding of the unique properties of
stem cells and allow their use to treat disease; awards for well developed
basic, translational or pre-clinical research, or for preliminary testing of
novel or high-risk hypotheses.
–Targeted Investigation of Pluripotent Stem Cells–to support the development of
improved methods for deriving pluripotent stem cell lines; defining the
reprogramming mechanisms, and comparing the utility of induced pluripotent stem
(IPS) cells with embryonic and other pluripotent stem cells for use in disease
models and potential therapeutic applications. Induced pluripotent cells, like
embryonic cells, have the potential to develop into other types of body tissues.
Letters of intent for all the RFAs are due May 28 with applications due June 30.
The full Requests for Applications can be found on the state Department of
Health’s website (www.nyhealth.gov/funding) and on the NYSTEM website (www.stemcell.ny.gov/research_support.html).
The state’s stem cell initiative is administered by the Department of Health
through the New York State Stem Cell Science/NYSTEM program under the direction
of the Empire State Stem Cell Board. All research funded by the state must
adhere to the guidelines of the National Academies for Science (NAS) Guidelines
for Human Embryonic Stem Cell Research or those of the International Society for
Stem Cell Research (ISSCR). New York’s legislation expressly forbids the use of
state funding for human reproductive cloning. 5-08-08
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