UC Merced Recommended to Advance in CIRM Major Facilities Program

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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