Drawing together experts from fields as diverse as engineering to molecular biology, University of California (UCLA) has formed the Institute for Stem Cell Biology and Medicine to conduct embryonic and adult stem cell research that may lead to better treatments for HIV, cancer and neurological disorders.

UCLA will provide $20 million over five years to launch the campuswide institute, which will enable teams of researchers to compete for state grants created by the passage of Proposition 71. The money will pay for recruitment for a dozen new faculty positions, salaries and expansion of highly sophisticated laboratory space, infrastructure, and supplies.

Dr. Owen Witte, a renowned scientist whose laboratory research laid the groundwork for development of the targeted leukaemia therapy Gleevec, is director of the new institute. He also stressed the interdisciplinary approach necessary to face the challenges related to stem cell research.

UCLA Chancellor Albert Carnesale said, "The new UCLA Institute for Stem Cell Biology and Medicine will enable us to continue fostering such interdisciplinary collaborations and to build upon the existing body of knowledge for the benefit of people worldwide."

"Embryonic stem cells have the power to develop into every type of human tissue," Witte said adding, "If we can learn how they are regulated for growth and development, we can harness this knowledge to study tissue development and regeneration and potentially come up with new ways to fight many life-threatening diseases."

Researchers are hopeful that stem cell research will lead to revolutionary new treatments for Parkinson's, spinal cord injuries, Alzheimer's, cancer and other diseases, and perhaps shed new light on how some diseases develop. However, most scientists agree that human treatments are years or even decades away.

The Institute for Stem Cell Biology and Medicine is a collaboration of the David Geffen School of Medicine, UCLA's Jonsson Cancer Centre, the Henry Samueli School of Engineering and Applied Science, and the UCLA College.