‘Your legacy as much as ours’

During the Friday opening of the new stem cell research center at UC Irvine, the institute’s director credited two parties — voters and donors — for helping to fund what is expected to become a leader in developing possible treatments for spinal cord injuries, Alzheimer’s disease and other ailments.

“Whatever we achieve here, it is your legacy as much as ours,” said director Peter Donovan, who previously led the stem cell program at Johns Hopkins University. “The use of stem cells can revolutionize the treatment of human diseases and injuries.”

The UCI center has already attracted leading scientists from Canada and the United Kingdom.

“With this, it’s not just California speaking,” Klein said. “This is tangible evidence that the science is at a world-class level. California is now the world leader in stem cell research and biomedical research.”

The opening of Sue and Bill Gross Hall: A California Institute for Regenerative Medicine Institute (CIRM) at UCI represented the will of not only leading scientists but more than 7 million California voters who in 2004 passed Proposition 71. The initiative supported new funding sources for stem cell research after then-President George W. Bush banned federal funding to develop new stem cell lines from embryos left over from in-vitro fertilization.

Through a $10-million gift from PIMCO co-founder Bill Gross of Newport Beach and his wife, UCI was able to attract a $27.2 million grant from CIRM. The rest of the institute’s $80 million cost came from private funding and the University of California system.

“This is a remarkable contribution to our children and our children’s children,” said Robert Klein, head of CIRM. “With great champions and great facilities, great scientists can change the world.”

CIRM also gave $27 million for an institute at USC and $19.9 million for one at UCLA. UCI’s institute, which covers 100,000 square feet over four stories, will soon be at the forefront of developing ways for stem cells to help patients with Alzheimer’s, spinal cord injuries and macular degeneration, among other ailments.

Human stem cells are cells on the most fundamental level that can be manipulated to form more complex cells like neurons, muscle and spinal cord tissue.

The new institute is winning accolades from researchers worldwide.

“People love to bash California for all its problems,” said Larry Goldstein, the head of UC San Diego’s stem cell program and a professor of cellular and molecular medicine. “I see it as a beacon, where things that are innovative and unusual get tried, and this is an example of that. Having California step into the fray and recognize, you know what, this is good for people with illnesses in our state and important to our economy ... that’s a terrific thing.”

The UCI institute houses more than 60 researchers working with stem cells on seemingly every level of development in more than a dozen labs.

Scientists there will experiment with drugs that can boost and stabilize stem cell growth and use a somewhat new technique of reverting human skin cells back to a stem cell state while retaining the patient’s genetic makeup.

Induced pluripotent stem cells, or iPSC, were developed in Japan in 2006 and may give doctors a pathway to testing drug treatments on patients’ neurons, muscle tissue or spinal cord tissue outside of the body.

Other labs have researchers finding ways to address macular degeneration and even limb replacement, as three salamanders with brand new legs on display Friday showed. Others at the institute are focusing on developing therapies for Alzheimers, Huntington’s Disease and spinal injuries.

Human trials may be only a few years away in some cases, officials said.

“Biology will be to the 21st century what physics was to the 20th century,” said UCI Chancellor Michael Drake. “There are miracles waiting around the corner.”

The local business community is already showing interest.

David Scharp, president of biotech company Prodo Laboratories Inc., which is seeking insulin-supplying stem cells for diabetes patients, was at the dedication, roaming the halls and asking researchers about their various stem cell lines and how they create them.

“I think it’s fantastic. It opens up new opportunities for business collaboration,” Scharp said. “It’s a win-win situation.”