July 21, 2011

GOV. MALLOY ANNOUNCES AWARD OF NEARLY $10 MILLION IN STEM CELL RESEARCH FUNDS

(HARTFORD, CT) - Governor Dannel P. Malloy today announced the award of $9.8 million in stem cell research funds to twenty Connecticut-based researchers. The awards were given by the State of Connecticut Stem Cell Research Advisory Committee at its Tuesday grant review meeting in Farmington.

Seventy-nine stem cell funding applications were accepted for consideration in January 2011. The Connecticut Stem Cell Research Peer Review Committee reviewed these applications in accordance with National Institutes of Health guidelines and provided to the Advisory Committee its recommendations with respect to the scientific merits of each application.

"These awards signal Connecticut's commitment to stem cell research and the life sciences sector," said Governor Malloy. "Connecticut continues to conduct some of the finest stem cell research in the country, and these awardees further demonstrate Connecticut's promise as a leader in bioscience."

"This year's awardees submitted a wide range of research projects ranging from basic stem cell research to a new disease directed category of grants which are closer to clinical application," stated Advisory Committee Chairperson and Department of Public Health Commissioner Dr. Jewel Mullen. "I applaud the committee members for their commitment to this important effort."

The following awards were made by the Connecticut Stem Cell Advisory Committee:

Identification of novel targets abnormally expressed in Prader-Willi Syndrome
University of Connecticut Health Center, Farmington
Kristin Martins-Taylor, Principal Investigator
$200,000

Regulation of mRNA stability and translation in pluripotent and differentiated hES cells
University of Connecticut Health Center, Farmington
Alissa Resch, Principal Investigator
$200,000

Single Cell Molecular Signatures for Hematopoietic Differentiation of Human Embryonic Stem Cells
Yale University, New Haven
Rong Fan, Principal Investigator
$195,251

Role of Kalirin, a risk factor for schizophrenia, in human stem cells
University of Connecticut Health Center, Farmington
Xin-Ming Ma, Principal Investigator
$200,000

The Role of Endocardial Cells in Human Down Syndrome-Related Heart Defects
Yale University, New Haven
Peter Amos, Principal Investigator
$200,000

Role of the histone variant H2A.X in the establishment of the epigenetic landscape of human embryonic stem cells
Yale University, New Haven
Pascal Drane, Principal Investigator
$200,000

MicroRNA mediated derivation of hemapoietic stem cells from human embryonic stem cells
Yale University, New Haven
Shangqin Guo, Principal Investigator
$200,000

Investigation of gene expression adaptations to alcohol in iPS cell derived neural cultures from alcohol dependent control subjects
University of Connecticut Health Center, Farmington
Jonathan Covault, Principal Investigator
$196,836

Identification and purification of smooth muscle cells from differentiating human embryonic stem cells for vascular tissue engineering
Yale University, New Haven
Sumati Sundaram, Principal Investigator
$200,000

Cytoplasmic dsRNA response in human embryonic stem cells
University of Connecticut Health Center, Farmington
Gordon Carmichael, Principal Investigator
$750,000

Devising a multidisciplinary approach for the treatment of articular cartilage damage using human ESC-derived chondrocytes
University of Connecticut Health Center, Farmington
Hicham Drissi, Principal Investigator
$650,000

Phosphorylation Dynamics of Pluripotent Stem Cells
University of Connecticut Health Center, Farmington
David Han, Principal Investigator
$570,000

Pulsatile tissue-engineered grafts for surgical correction of single ventricle cardiac anomalies
Yale University, New Haven
Yibing Qyang, Principal Investigator
$375,000

Mechanisms of RNA Surveillance in Human Embryonic Stem Cells
Yale University, New Haven
Sandra Wolin, Principal Investigator
$750,000

Differentiation of human iPSC and ES into functional neurons
Yale University, New Haven
Flora Vaccarino, Principal Investigator
$744,446

Elucidating the development and disease of cortical motor neuron using human pluripotent stem cells
UConn Health Center, Farmington
Xue Jun Li, Principal Investigator
$337,470

Angiogenesis of Embryonic Stem Cell Derived Hippocampus Transplants
Wesleyan University, Middletown
Laural Grabel, Principal Investigator
$750,000

Development of a Potential Therapy for Osteoarthritic Cartilage Damage using hESC-derived Chondrogenic Cells
Chondrogenics, Inc., Farmington
Caroline Dealy, Principal Investigator
$1,290,499

Continued Operation and Expansion of the Human Embryonic Stem Cell Core Facilities at the Yale Stem Cell Center
Yale University, New Haven
Haifan Lin, Principal Investigator
$500,000

Stem Cell Approaches for Defining Patient-specific Predisposition to Idiosyncratic Drug-induced Liver Injury
University of Connecticut, Storrs
Urs Boelsterli, Principal Investigator
$1,290,499

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For Immediate Release: July 21, 2011

Contact: Bill Gerrish
Department of Public Health
Bill.Gerrish@ct.gov
860-509-7106

Twitter: @GovMalloyOffice

Facebook: Office of Governor Dannel P. Malloy