UC Merced Recommended to Advance in CIRM Major Facilities Program

December 17, 2007

MERCED - A proposal for a Stem Cell Instrumentation Foundry at the University of California, Merced, has passed the first round of reviews by the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine (CIRM), and the new UC campus has been asked to submit application for the second round.

"We're very pleased that CIRM has recognized the depth and uniqueness of UC Merced's stem cell research program," said Dean Maria Pallavicini of the School of Natural Sciences. "Our proposal reflects the collaborative and highly inter-disciplinary nature of our research, It is recognized that the most rapid advances are made at the interfaces of disciplines. UC Merced's. powerful inter-disciplinary approach brings together researchers from multiple disciplines who combine their expertise, knowledge and perspectives to bring unique approaches to address the complexity of stem cell biology

UC Merced proposes to establish a Stem Cell Instrumentation Foundry (SCIF) that will fabricate customized nanodevices to allow researchers from all over California to analyze single cells as they seek information about how stem cells function in situations in health and disease.

Part One of the Major Facilities Grant Program involved review of the proposals by the Scientific and Medical Research Funding Working Group. This group recommended UC Merced along with 11 other institutions to the Independent Citizens' Oversight Committee (ICOC) to advance to Part Two. The ICOC will consider the recommendations at its Jan. 17 meeting.

Upon approval from the ICOC, UC Merced will submit another application and undergo a review for the technical aspects of the proposed facility. A final decision from the ICOC on the Major Facilities Grants is expected in April 2008.

Several UC Merced researchers are among those who would contribute expertise and use the facility:

• Wei-chun Chin (assistant professor, School of Engineering) studies cell signaling in asthma and cystic fibrosis and aims to apply microfabrication techniques to study how stem cells' microenvironments affect their differentiation.
• Michael D. Cleary (assistant professor, School of Natural Sciences) explores how complex tissues can develop from relatively small populations of stem cells, with an emphasis on time-related regulation of neural cell fate decisions.
• Michael Colvin (professor, School of Natural Sciences) uses computer models to address biology questions, including stem cell fate decisions.
• Marcos Garcia-Ojeda (assistant professor, School of Natural Sciences) studies how stem cells develop into T-cells through microenvironmental and genetic signals - research that may someday be applied to stem cell treatments for HIV.
• Michelle Khine (assistant professor, School of Engineering) develops Micro Total Systems Analysis tools to dynamically examine individual cells, working with stem cell researchers on multiple projects. She is working on an ambitious CIRM-funded project to engineer heart and blood vessel tissue from embryonic stem cells.
• Jennifer O. Manilay (assistant professor, School of Natural Sciences), a developmental immunologist, studies cell fate decisions in the immune system and how they are regulated by where a cell is located. She received a CIRM New Faculty Award this year in support of her research in transplantation immunology.
• Kara McCloskey (assistant professor, School of Engineering) is a bioengineer specializing in directing the development of heart and blood vessel tissue from embryonic stem cells.
• Maria Pallavicini (professor and dean, School of Natural Sciences) was a pioneering stem cell researcher at UC San Francisco before joining the UC Merced faculty. She continues her research into the role of stem cells in breast cancer and leukemia.

UC Merced's SCIF proposal fell under the Special Programs section of the Major Facilities Grant Program. Special Programs funding can range from $5 to $10 million. UC Merced is proposing that CIRM grant $7 million for a facility of approximately 5,420 square feet.

The SCIF proposal is the only CIRM Major Facilities proposal from the San Joaquin Valley that was recommended for advancement. If approved, the SCIF would help ensure that economic and educational benefits from Proposition 71 funds reach this underserved area of California.

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