NEWS

UCLA hESC Lines Accepted to NIH Registry

Three UCLA human embryonic stem cell (hESC) lines created by researchers at the Broad Stem Cell Research Center were accepted into the National Institutes of Health (NIH) Human Embryonic Stem Cell Registry, allowing them to be used in federally funded research projects and increasing the diversity of cell lines available for study. UCLA is one of only nine institutions in the world with stem cell lines admitted to the NIH registry. READ MORE...

$5M gift to establish Caltech-UCLA collaboative
Joint Center for Translational Medicine (JCTM).

The JCTM will advance experimental research into clinical applications, including the diagnosis and therapy of diseases such as cancer. Initial funding for the new center comes from a two-year, $5 million gift from The Eli and Edythe Broad Foundation. Cal Tech Nobel laureate David Baltimore is the founding director and BSCRC Director Owen Witte will serve as Deputy Director of the JCTM. The JCTM offers a Translational Acceleration Grant (TAG) program for Cal Tech and UCLA faculty. READ MORE....

$49.2 million in California Institute for Regenerative Medicine (CIRM) grants awarded to BSCRC scientists for bench to bedside research in sickle cell disease, HIV/AIDS, and ovarian, colorectal, and brain cancers

Three UCLA Broad Stem Cell Research Center scientists, Drs. Don Kohn, Irvin Chen, and Dennis Slamon, were awarded CIRM (Proposition 71) grants totaling $49.2 million to take leading-edge stem cell science from the laboratory and translate it into new therapies for such devastating diseases as sickle cell, HIV/AIDS and brain, ovarian and colorectal cancers within four years. BSCRC physician-scientists will also participate in awarded grants to develop treatments for leukemia (Hanna Mikkola), stroke (Tom Carmichael), and glioblastoma (Paul Mischel, Timothy Cloughesy, and Linda Liau).
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Left to right: Don Kohn, MD, Irvin Chen, PhD, UCLA School of Medicine Dean Gerald Levey, CIRM ICOC member Sherry Lansing, and Dennis Slamon, MD

BSCRC member, Dr. Gay Crooks, was awarded a $1.35M Transplantation Immunolgy grant to develop a method to engineer and return into transplant patients new, healthy thymus tissue designed to protect against rejection. READ MORE...

Drs. Benhur Lee, Douglas Black, and Yong Kim received California Institute of Regenerative Medicine (CIRM: Prop. 71) Basic Biology 2 stem cell grants totalling $3.9 million for research that will uncover the basic mechanisms underlying stem cell biology and build a foundation that will support future research designed to translate stem cell science from the lab bench to the patient bedside. Dr. Lee's proposal received the highest score from the scientific grant review committee.
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BSCRC scientists Jason Tchieu, Edward Kuoy, Dr. Kathrin Plath, and colleagues find that induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells, reprogrammed from female human skin cells retain an inactive X chromosome. The discovery could have implications for studying X chromosome-linked diseases such as Rett syndrome and muscular dystrophies. READ MORE....

Dr. Brigitte Gomperts, BSCRC scientist, and colleagues discovered that adult stem cells that are vital for airway repair in the lung but that persist in areas where pre-cancerous lesions are found are associated with a poor prognosis in patients who develop cancer, even those with early stage disease. READ MORE....

Cal State University, Northridge (CSUN) - UCLA Broad Stem Cell Center (BSCRC) collaboration awarded $1.6M CIRM sponsored Bridges Stem Cell Research Program. Ten CSUN students each year will intern with some of the world leaders in stem cell research at the BSCRC, assisting with research and working with the latest technologies in the rapidly emerging field of regenerative medicine. READ MORE...

BSCRC scientists led by Dr. Gay Crooks described cells that mark the very first stage of differentiation of hESC as they enter a pathway that leads to production of blood, heart muscle, blood vessels and bone. The discovery, published in PNAS, may help scientists better understand the differences between pluripotent stem cells and cells becoming specific types of tissue as welll as identification of safer tissues for use in regenerative medicine. READ MORE....

BSCRC scientists reveal different functions in diverse cells of the immune system by providing a non-invasive and much clearer picture of an immune response in action. Evan Nair-Gill, BSCRC Director Owen Witte, and colleagues developed Positron Emission Tomography (PET) probes that may be useful in evaluating therapies that target different cellular components of the immune system. READ MORE...

UCLA investigators demonstrate for the first time that human blood stem cells can be engineered into cells that can target and kill HIV-infected cells. The process could potentially be used against a range of chronic viral diseases.  The work of Broad Stem Cell Research faculty Drs. Scott Kitchen, Zoran Galic, Jerry Zack, and colleagues provides proof-of-principle, a demonstration of feasibility, that human stem cells can be engineered into the equivalent of a genetic vaccine. READ MORE...

Dr. William Lowry and associates showed for the first time that human induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSC) can be differentiated into electrically active motor neurons. The discovery may aid in studying and treating neurological disorders.