Stem Cell Research Facility Opens In La Jolla
Posted on November 30, 2011
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USCD Among Organizations Behind Sanford Consortium For Regenerative Medicine
SAN DIEGO — A one-of-a-kind stem cell research facility opened its doors in La Jolla on Tuesday. The Sanford Consortium for Regenerative Medicine is a collaboration involving the Sanford-Burnham Medical Research Institute, the Salk Institute for Biological Studies, the Scripps Research Institute, UC San Diego and the La Jolla Institute for Allergy and Immunology. “This is a one-of-a-kind, world-class, collaborative research undertaking, involving five pre-eminent medical research organizations,” said Jonathan Thomas, who is the chairman for the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine. At the launch, Thomas stood alongside UCSD Chancellor Marye Anne Fox. “This is going to be transformative to the way we do therapies for a number of important diseases: diabetes, regenerative diseases, leukemia,” said Fox. John Reed, the chief executive officer of Sanford Burnham Medical Research Institute, said, “We got a $3 billion authorization by the voters of Prop. 71 in 2004.” Seven years later, a $127 million facility was under way. About $43 million of that will be funded by taxpayers over time. The facility should bring in nearly 350 jobs. The facility offers new hope for people like retired Navy Capt. John Kieley. He was injured in a car crash which left him unable to walk and affected his vision, hearing and speech. “It happened 20 years ago,” he said. Kieley said he was in the backseat of a car on a snowy January day in Colorado. He was with other members of the Navy on their way out for a flight when their car crashed after swerving to avoid another driver that was fishtailing and hit black ice. “I was a Navy captain at the time,” he said. “I only had a lap belt on.” Kieley said he has spent 20 years on his road to recovery after the crash. He said the new research facility gives him hope that he may walk someday. “It means everything to me,” Kieley said.Copyright 2011 by 10News.com. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
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