UC Davis broke ground Sept. 26 for a $62 million research facility that will house the university's expanding stem cell research program on its Sacramento campus.

The new UC Davis Institute for Regenerative Cures, a facility supported by the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine, will be the hub for team-oriented research in regenerative medicine and offer hope for people suffering from chronic disease or injury.

This will be the first official Northern California groundbreaking for a state-supported stem cell research institute. Earlier this month, the University of Southern California broke ground for the Eli and Edythe Broad CIRM Center for Regenerative Medicine and Stem Cell Research at USC. Along with a recent $20 million grant from the state's stem cell agency to fund the new research building, UC Davis is one of just seven entities in California that is being designated as a "CIRM Institute."

"Within our new stem cell institute," said Claire Pomeroy, vice chancellor for Human Health Sciences and dean of the medical school, "we are bringing together dedicated researchers, from a variety of disciplines, to focus their skills and expertise on one specific objective: turning stem cells into cures."

The institute will house a variety of laboratories and other research space, including a highly-specialized research and testing lab known as a Good Manufacturing Practice facility. This federally-certified facility will enable researchers to prepare cellular therapies for the clinical trials that UC Davis plans to begin after the first phase of renovations are completed in fall 2009.

The 92,000 square-foot research institute is being developed within an existing building that was once part of the California State Fairgrounds.

Charles Casey is a senior public information representative for the UC Davis Health System.