U-M scores $6.8M in federal stem cell research grants

Thirteen is the lucky number for the University of Michigan. That’s how many federal grants the university recently received for stem cell research, totaling $6.8 million in federal stimulus cash.”That money will certainly accelerate stem cell research at the University of Michigan,” says Sean Morrison, director of the University of Michigan Center for Stem Cell Biology. “It will go towards all sorts of stem cell research.”The money represents a 15-20 percent increase in overall funding for both adult and embryonic stem cells at the center’s laboratories. That translates to more research positions and new research projects.Michigan recently lifted restrictions on stem cell research, specifically allowing embryonic stem cell research to move forward. With these grants also come new and different stem cells for U-M researchers to study. Some U-M researchers will use induced pluripotent stem cells, or iPS cells. These versatile cells are adult cells that have been reprogrammed to behave like embryonic stem cells.This is the latest federal stimulus research grant the university has received this year. It has scored 260 different grants, accounting for more than $100 million in extra research funding.Source: Sean Morrison, director of the University of Michigan Center for Stem Cell BiologyWriter: Jon Zemke