The November vote by Californians to spend $3 billion in the years ahead on human embryonic stem cell research could speed progress in the field and engage academic institutions like UC Davis.

Toward this goal, the campus hosted a strategic planning session Dec. 3 at Buehler Alumni and Visitors Center to evaluate the university's opportunities in stem cell research.

"We have a unique breadth of expertise that makes UC Davis stand out among the competition," said Lynn Chronister, associate vice chancellor for research administration in the Office of Research. She noted that the university has the state's only school of veterinary medicine and only primate center and has medical and agricultural research programs.

Interest is high in the stem cell field. Chronister was pleasantly surprised at the heavy turnout for the meeting. More than 50 people attended when original expectations were for about 25. As a result, her office had to change the venue from a smaller room at the ARC to the alumni center.

Stem cell research on campus and at the UC Davis Medical Center could help attract potential private funding and even stem cell researchers from other states to the university, Chronister said.

By a 59-to-41 percent margin, on Nov. 2 Californians voted in favor of the 10-year initiative for stem cell research.

The immediate effect of Proposition 71 is that it created the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine. The institute will be provided with about $295 million a year through the sale of bonds, in an attempt to spur stem cell studies in the state.

Treating diseases, damaged organs

Embryonic stem cells are a valuable research tool for studying the development of human tissues and may hold the key to developing medicines and therapies to treat a variety of diseases and conditions, including Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, diabetes and spinal cord injuries.

Regenerative medicine, much of which will depend on therapies from stem cell research and tissue engineering, is the science of enabling the body to repair its own damaged organs or reverse diseases.

All of this research takes coordination and planning -- and that groundwork is now being laid across the Golden State.

UC Davis Chancellor Larry Vanderhoef recently appointed Claire Pomeroy to the Independent Citizens Oversight Commission, which will oversee the institute and its funding of stem cell research. (Pomeroy, an expert in infectious diseases, was recently named vice chancellor for human health sciences and dean of the School of Medicine at UC Davis beginning Feb. 1.)

Pomeroy described the strategic planning session as an opportunity to network, share expertise and begin preparations.

"The advantages of our comprehensive campus and our culture of collaboration position UC Davis well to be competitive for Proposition 71 funds," said Pomeroy. "In addition, our campus expertise in animal models -- including work being done at the primate center -- imaging, drug discovery, computational modeling and other areas provide opportunities for UC Davis to make unique contributions."

She noted the possibility of applying stem cell science to vascular and related metabolic diseases, cancer and neurological disorders.

As for the next step, Pomeroy said the group agreed to schedule another meeting soon to finalize a strategic plan and prepare concepts for upcoming grant applications. She also indicated that identifying the facilities, resources and infrastructure needed to support this type of research at UC Davis is essential. "It is anticipated that the first call for proposals for Proposition 71 funds will focus on requests for new research facilities.

"Also, there are several active recruitment efforts underway to bring additional expertise to our campus," said Pomeroy.

Virginia Hinshaw, provost and executive vice chancellor, also attended the meeting. She said UC Davis will bring together researchers to explore additional collaborations, recruit additional investigators in this area, and create space for stem cell studies. The science itself has an "enormous potential" for human health, said Hinshaw, a virologist and influenza virus expert.

"If researchers can define the signals that make a stem cell develop into a certain cell type, such as a liver cell, that will generate information basic to human development," she said.

"In addition, then one can envision generating a test tube solely of one cell type, such as liver cells, to test new therapies and drugs, thereby reducing the number of tests in humans and animals."

Stem cell research could allow new drugs and therapies to be tested more rapidly and directed more specifically to a certain type of disease, Hinshaw said. In the long term, stem cells could be used to replace defective tissues.

"Reaching these goals will take much research and time," observed Hinshaw, "but the potential benefits are truly impressive."

Beyond UC Davis, the UC system will help shape the stem cell initiative.

Each of the five UC campuses with a medical center placed one member on the 29-person Independent Citizens Oversight Commission, the one on which Pomeroy is serving. The institute is charged with developing a rigorous, science-based peer-review process so that the funding is used in the most efficient way possible. The goal is to have grants rolling out by April 2005.

The commission will hold its first meeting Dec. 17 at UC San Francisco. By Dec. 18, they are required to select a chairman and vice chairman to six-year terms.