Six U.S. institutions cooperate in stem cell research

Six U.S. institutions cooperate in stem cell research

Six medical, research and educational institutions of the United States announced on Thursday they have established a partnership to conduct and advance stem cell research. The partners of the Southern California Stem Cell Scientific Collaboration, or SC3, are University of Southern California (USC), Children Hospital Los Angeles, City of Hope , University of California in Santa Barbara, California Technological Institute and the Los Angeles-based House Ear Institute. "The potential applications for stem cell research in medicine are enormous," Martin Pera, director of USC's Center for Stem Cell and Regenerative Medicine, said in a statement. "Tackling these complex problems requires scientists with diverse expertise. We are delighted to have an opportunity to work with such an outstanding collection of scientists to really accelerate the pace of discovery and translational research in regenerative medicine."

A statement announcing the formation of the partnership called it "a major step forward in supporting potential significant stem cell findings by allowing members to share training programs, scientific core facilities and expertise, and to team up on a wide range of research programs." Added Dr. Michael A. Friedman, City of Hope 's president and chief executive Officer: "For patients and their families, cures for cancer, HIV/AIDS and other diseases cannot come soon enough." "We believe the SC3 collaboration provides a critical mass of expertise that will create new knowledge and significantly accelerate treatments for diseases that impact so many," Friedman said. Each institution will appoint a faculty member to serve on a joint scientific advisory committee, which will serve as a forum to develop collaborative research ventures, facilitate access to scientific resources and provide expertise, a statement said. Source: Xinhua