NIGMS Funds More Stem Cell Research

NIH's National Institute of General Medical Sciences will increase its support of stem cell research by $27 million. The additional funding will provide each of three new research programs with about $9 million over five years. The multidisciplinary programs will be based at the University of Georgia, the University of Wisconsin, and the University of California, Los Angeles. They will provide insight into why cells switch from self-renewal to specialization and will study the details of the early steps in specialized cell formation. The research adds to the effort NIGMS launched in 2003 to understand the basic molecular and genetic features of human embryonic stem cells. The new programs join six exploratory centers, two multidisciplinary research programs, and several independent projects that are ongoing as part of that effort. Work on all NIGMS-funded projects remains limited to the federally approved stem cell lines listed in the NIH human embryonic stem cell registry.