A NEW STEM CELL RESEARCH FUND

Medical research is an area in which new hope and opportunity is found every day in New York State. Our research institutions, teaching hospitals and pharmaceutical companies are world leaders in disease prevention. Thousands of New Yorkers work tirelessly each day in the search for new cures and medicines. However, that critical progress has been hindered by Washington’s refusal to fund stem cell research.

Under the leadership of Lieutenant Governor David Paterson, the State of New York has stepped in where the federal government has faltered by passing legislation last year. Over the next decade, $600 million in state funds will now go to stem cell research. This research has the potential to yield therapies that may prevent, treat and perhaps even cure many debilitating and life threatening conditions such as Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, ALS, blindness, heart disease, cancer, and diabetes.

As we continue to innovate in the area of medical research, lives will be saved and new sectors of our economy will be born. Stem cell research offers New York profound economic opportunities and this funding commitment by the state will help position New York as a world leader in the field. The research and the technologies it creates will bring thousands of new, high-paying jobs to New York, while introducing welcomed challenges for our 32 academic and private biomedical research institutions, 100 teaching hospitals, world class scientists and highly skilled work force.

The 2007-2008 State Budget created the Empire State Stem Cell Board and the Empire State Stem Cell Trust.

The Empire State Stem Cell Trust is a Special Revenue Fund created specifically to collect and distribute grants in support of stem cell research. $100 million was earmarked for FY2007-2008 and $500 million was earmarked at $50 million per year for ten years beginning in FY 2008-2009.

The Empire State Stem Cell Board provides state grants for basic, applied, translational and other research that advances scientific discoveries in fields related to stem cell biology. No grants will be permitted for research involving human reproductive cloning.

The Board is comprised of two committees--The Funding Committee and Ethics Committee, each consisting of 13 members. The Funding Committee makes awards based upon the analysis and recommendations of an independent scientific peer review. The Ethics Committee makes recommendations regarding scientific, medical, and ethical standards.

On January 7, 2008, the first round of grants was awarded. The awards, totaling $14.5 million were distributed to 25 institutions in the form of one-year development grants to support stem cell research and training. These Institutional Development Grants are designed to increase the capacity of New York State research institutions to engage in stem cell research.

In the next few months Requests for Applications (RFA's) are expected to be approved by the Stem Cell Board and issued by the State Health Department which will focus on fostering collaboration among the state's stem cell scientists and their partners, support innovative investigator-initiated research, and accelerate research on the latest scientific findings, including induced pluripotent stem cells (cells that have the capacity to become other cells).

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