On Mar. 16, 2005, University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) officials announced the formation of 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 provided $20 million over five years to launch the campus wide institute, which enabled teams of researchers to compete for state grants created by the passage of Proposition 71. The money paid 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 leukemia therapy Gleevec, is director of the new institute. He also stressed the interdisciplinary approach necessary to face the challenges related to stem cell research.

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.

Proposition 71 will provide $3 billion for stem cell research. A state institute is being created in Northern California to allocate funding to stem cell scientists at universities, medical schools and research facilities. A 29-member oversight and governing board will oversee the institute and review requests for funding.