The University of California on July 26 received or shared five grants totaling $93.1 million from the state’s stem cell agency to speed therapies to patients suffering from Huntington’s disease, critical limb ischemia, osteoporosis, melanoma and spinal cord injury. Three grants went to UC Davis researchers, one to UCLA and one was shared by UC Irvine.

The California Institute for Regenerative Medicine (CIRM) awarded a total of $150 million to help move promising stem cell–based therapies from laboratory research to human clinical trials.

Overall, CIRM’s governing board has awarded more than $1.5 billion in stem cell grants, with more than half of the total going to UC or UC-affiliated institutions.

Last week’s awards include:

UC Davis: $53.1 million, including grants of:

• $20 million, led by Nancy Lane, targeting osteoporosis, a bone disease
• $19 million, led by Jan Nolta and Vicki Wheelock , targeting Huntington’s disease, a genetic brain disorder
• $14.1 million, led by John Laird and Jan Nolta, targeting critical limb ischemia, a severe blockage of the arteries

UC Irvine: $20 million for a grant shared by Aileen Anderson and Brian Cummings of UC Irvine and Nobuko Uchida of StemCells Inc., targeting cervical spinal cord injury

UCLA: $20 million for a grant led by Antoni Ribas, targeting melanoma, the most dangerous type of skin cancer

>>For more, see the CIRM news release.

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