Stem cells research grant awarded

After receiving a $10 million federal research grant, the UW Institute for Stem Cell and Regenerative Medicine (ISCRM), is the highest federally-funded public university program.

The origins of stem cell research trace back to the findings of a UW professor in 1957. The ISCRM hopes to continue in this tradition, despite lacking facilities.

"Currently, it remains somewhat of a virtual institute, consisting of about 130 faculty," said Dr. Randall Moon, director of the Institute. "We're proud of the strong tradition of cell-based therapies that began here in Seattle, and I see no reason why we shouldn't continue to be a leader in the field."

In addition to a $10 million federal research grant from the National Institutes of Health and a variety of philanthropic donations totaling about $17 million, Moon's hopes are giving way to tangible returns through a variety of nationally recognized projects.

Earlier this year, National Public Radio (NPR) featured the work of Dr. Chuck Murry, UW professor of pathology and co-director of ISCRM, whose team had developed human embryonic stem cells into viable heart muscle cells and found success in getting them to beat in lockstep with heart cells in rats.

"The fundamental problem is that the heart is arguably the least regenerative organ in the body," Murry said in the NPR interview. "We're hoping that through harnessing the power of stem cells, we'll actually be able to grow back new heart muscle and new blood vessels in patients with damaged hearts."

Dr. Anthony Blau, UW professor of hematology, explained that stem cells have the capability to produce many other kinds of cells.

"Stem cells are a kind of mother cell that can make multiple cell types," he said. "For example, adult stem cells found in bone marrow form numerous constituents of our blood. ... Human embryonic stem cells, are ... the only sort that can make any other type of cell. That trait creates a mind boggling number of applications for research and future therapies."

Beyond the many possible remedies, regenerative medicine is not just for rich countries. Impacts will be seen globally. The potential exists to save the lives of hundreds of millions of people, Moon said.

Despite their optimism, the ISCRM researchers noted the complexity of operating within a research environment where, as per a 2001 decision by the Bush administration, projects using particular embryonic stem cell lines cannot be funded by the federal government.

"This creates a duality wherein work on approved and non-approved cell lines must remain financially separate, from the building housing the laboratory to the equipment with which the experiments are performed," said Dr. Carol Ware, director of the stem cell research team at ISCRM.

A new, privately funded ISCRM facility is slated to open next year in South Lake Union, where researchers hope to develop their own lines of human embryonic cells.

"If you care about [stem cell research] being done in an ethical, fully defensible manner, you would want it in a public university," Moon said. "The UW has adequate oversight, premier facilities, much expertise, and a collaborative culture to pull it all together. Only a few places can claim that broad a charge."

[Reach reporter Brian Smoliak news@thedaily.washington.edu.]