EMERYVILLE, Calif. — California's new stem cell agency may need to create regional laboratories around the state to carry out research without conflicting with Bush administration rules, the agency's interim chief said Tuesday.
Under the administration's policies, scientists may not use federal funds -- or even equipment paid for with federal money -- to perform research on groups of stem cells, known as stem cell lines, that were created after August 2001.
The regional labs would be a way of allowing researchers to work without worrying about violating federal rules, Zach Hall, the agency's interim president, said in a meeting here with reporters.
Hall's suggestion regarding regional laboratories comes as UCLA prepares to launch a $20-million stem cell research institute on campus.
The UCLA plan, to be announced today, is one of the biggest efforts by a California university to get in position to take advantage of $3 billion for embryonic stem cell research approved by voters in November.
"Every major medical center and undergraduate campus in the state is actively thinking about stem cell research -- and the funding that is coming down the line," said Dr. Owen Witte, a UCLA professor of microbiology, immunology and molecular genetics who will head the new campus institute.
UCLA officials said they plan to spend $20 million over the next five years to create 12 faculty positions and expand laboratory space for stem cell research. The money, officials said, is coming from a collaboration with various entities on campus including the David Geffen School of Medicine, UCLA's Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center, the college and chancellor's office.
Witte, a well-known cancer researcher, will direct UCLA's Institute for Stem Cell Biology and Medicine. He said scientists there are particularly interested in three areas that could benefit from stem cell research: cancer, neurological diseases such as Parkinson's, and HIV/AIDS.
Major cities throughout the state also are in contention with proposals to be the site for the stem cell agency's permanent headquarters. With today as the deadline for proposals, Mayor James K. Hahn is scheduled to describe Los Angeles' bid this morning at a downtown news conference, and similar announcements are planned elsewhere in the state.
But the timetable for money to flow to researchers remains unclear.
