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UW-Madison granted nearly $9 million for stem cell research

The Capital Times  —  8/04/2008 4:56 pm

The University of Wisconsin has been awarded a prestigious $8.9 million grant from the National Institute of General Medical Sciences (NIGMS) to continue its pioneering work with human embryonic stem cell research. An interdisciplinary team of researchers will use the grant to fund several projects aimed at exploring the unique ability of stem cells to transform themselves into all of the different types of cells that make up the human body.

The grant will also help efforts to build and refine techniques for growing large amounts of embryonic stem cells.

"The Wisconsin team will conduct cutting-edge research to address some of the most fundamental questions about stem cells," said Marion Zatz, who oversees the grants at NIGMS, in a UW press release. "The project promises to advance the field of stem cell research by revealing new information about the protein modifications necessary for gene expression during stem cell differentiation."

Federal funding for embryonic stem cell research, a politically sensitive issue, has been scarce in recent years. UW-Madison, hailed around the world for cutting-edge research in this field, is one of only three organizations to receive these NIGMS grants. UW-Madison receives a grand total of $900 million in grants each year. This particular award is among the most significant, according to Terry Devitt, a university spokesman.

The Capital Times  —  8/04/2008 4:56 pm