Victoria-California Alliance to Help Turn Stem Cell Research Into Treatment and Cures
A historic agreement signed today to establish a pan-Pacific “stem cell airbridge” between the State of Victoria and the California Institute of Regenerative Medicine (CIRM) will empower collaboration between scientists in Australia and California.
Victoria Premier John Brumby and the Minister for Innovation, Gavin Jennings, today signed the Victoria-California Stem Cell Alliance with CIRM President Alan Trounson and Chairman Robert Klein, at the BIO International Conference.
“Victoria and California are world leaders in biotechnology and stem cell research,” Mr. Brumby said.
“The stem cell alliance builds on existing links between California and Victoria in information and communications technology and climate change.
“We are two of the world’s leading jurisdictions in tackling the leading global issues and we share the common goal of helping our best and brightest to tackle these issues.”
Mr. Jennings said the alliance would help establish strategic, collaborative projects on stem cell research with a particular focus on accelerating treatments of disease.
“By collaborating with the world’s largest stem cell organisation, Victoria will continue to build its leadership position in stem cell research and pioneering new treatments.”
“We have led this field from the very start with Alan Trounson’s pioneering work in IVF and, in recent times, the discovery of breast stem cells at the Walter and Eliza Hall Institute.
“But no jurisdiction can do it alone, so it makes sense to connect with powerful partners such as California.”
Dr. Alan Trounson, president of CRM, said California and Victoria were both focused on quickly driving stem cell research towards clinical applications.
“Accelerating the field of stem cell research as a whole is one of CIRM’s primary goals. In some instances, we can do this more effectively through collaborations that involve the best scientific endeavors, regardless of geography,” said Dr. Trounson. “CIRM funds will continue to be earmarked only for research taking place within California, but this alliance will leverage the efforts of our research.”
The California Institute for Regenerative Medicine was established in 2004 with the passage of Proposition 71, the California Stem Cell Research and Cures Act. To date CIRM has approved 168 research and facility grants totalling more than US$530 million.
“This launches a ‘stem cell air bridge’ between California and Australia and this scientific alliance advances the already strong network of relationships many California scientists have with colleagues in Australia,” stated Robert N. Klein, chairman of the governing board of CIRM. “Our goal is to shorten the time that it takes to usher discoveries into the clinic and to patients and one way to do this is by extending collaborations such as this, and the one also announced today with Genome Canada and Canada’s Cancer Stem Cell Consortium.”
Victoria is home to more than 43 percent of Australia’s medical research activity including specialist stem cell centres such as the Australian Stem Cell Centre, Monash Immunology and Stem Cell Laboratory and the Australian Regenerative Medicine Institute.