Thursday, September 11, 2008

Commonwealth launches stem cell registry

By Mass High Tech Staff

The University of Massachusetts Medical School and the Massachusetts Life Sciences Center have announced the establishment of the International Stem Cell Registry. Following up on the $1 billion Life Sciences Initiative, intended for 10 years worth of earmarked funds and pushed by Gov. Deval Patrick, the MLSC has awarded the new stem cell registry with a $570,000 grant.

The ISCR intends to put the funding toward development of an online registry, developed for both private and public use, that tracks human embryonic stem cell information and applications. The database, when completed, will provide information on every human embryonic stem cell available, with verying degrees of complexity.

The Massachusetts Life Sciences Center is the state agency focused on directing investment in the life sciences sector of the commonwealth.

In July, the organization announced its new board members, including: Joshua Boger, CEO of Vertex Pharmaceuticals Inc. (Nasdaq: VRTX), of Cambridge; Leslie Kirwan, secretary of administration and finance in the Patrick administration, who is cochairing the Life Sciences Center board; Lydia Villa-Komaroff, CEO of Boston life sciences startup Cytonome Inc.; and Peter Slavin, president of Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston. Prior to the stem cell registry, the board had approved $3.5 million in grants to be awarded to five Massachusetts universities to retain prominent, life sciences faculty as well as 11 research grants for Bay State institutions totaling $3.1 million.