June 24, 2014

GOV. MALLOY ANNOUNCES AWARD OF STEM CELL RESEARCH FUNDS

(HARTFORD, CT) - Governor Dannel P. Malloy today announced the award of nearly $10 million in stem cell research funds to 18 Connecticut-based researchers. The awards were made earlier this month by the State of Connecticut Stem Cell Research Advisory Committee at its grant review meeting.

"These grants represent another example of Connecticut's unprecedented investment in biomedical research," said Governor Malloy. "The Connecticut Stem Cell program helps to foster an environment in our state where scientists can pursue innovative research - work that is already promising new therapies for debilitating diseases."

One hundred and eleven stem cell fund applications were received in December 2013. 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.

"We are fortunate to see such outstanding applications from Connecticut researchers," said Department of Public Health Commissioner and Advisory Committee Chairperson Dr. Jewel Mullen. "The research supported by the Connecticut Stem Cell program provides hope to future generations of patients for medical therapies that will treat some of our greatest health challenges."

The Stem Cell Research Grants Program 2014 Funding Awardees

Core Grants:

Continued Support and Technology Development for Shared Core Facilities at the Yale Stem Cell Center
Yale University
Haifan Lin, Principal Investigator
$499,974

UConn-Wesleyan Stem Cell Core
University of Connecticut Health Center
Marc Lalande, Ren-He Xu, Principal Investigators
$500,000

Group Grant:

Studying the Therapeutic Role of iPSCs in Human Lupus
Yale University
Joseph Craft, Principal Investigator
$1,200,000

Disease Directed Grants :

Mechanisms of Crohn's Disease Revealed by Patient-Specific Stem Cells
The Jackson Laboratory for Genomic Medicine
Frank Mckeon, Principal Investigator
$1,100,000

Using Dup15q iPSCs to explore the genetics and synaptic pathophysiology of autism
University of Connecticut Health Center
Stormy Chamberlain, Principal Investigator
$1,100,000

Established Grants:

Modeling human cortico-striatal circuit and understanding dendritic spines in schizophrenia
University of Connecticut Health Center
Xin-Ming Ma, Principal Investigator
$750,000

Use of neonatal Human Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells and Human Embryonic Stem Cells in Hyperoxia Induced Lung Injury
University of Connecticut Health Center
Christine Finck, Principal Investigator
$750,000

Dissecting human embryonic stem cell pluripotency with functional genomics approaches
Yale University
Natalia Ivanova, Principal Investigator
$550,200

Reconstruction of an outer retina for transplantation and pharmaceutical testing
Yale University
Lawrence Rizzolo, Principal Investigator
$550,200

Modeling Pax7-associated craniofacial defects with Human ES derived neural crest
Yale University
Martin Garcia-Castro, Principal Investigator
$500,000

Regulation of Stem Cell Self-Renewal and Differentiation during Human Neurogenesis
Yale University
Weimin Zhong, Principal Investigator
$550,200

TNFR-Bmx signaling in cardiac stem cells and cardiac repair
Yale University
Wang Min, Principal Investigator
$750,000

Seed Grants:

Engineering patient-specific tracheas using iPSC-derived airway epithelial cells
Yale University
Mahboobe Ghaedi, Principal Investigator
$199,892

Use of human embryonic stem cells and murine neural stem cells to elucidate pro-apoptotic signaling in Glioblastoma
Yale University
Samuel Katz, Principal Investigator
$200,000

Understanding mechanism of tissue repair by live imaging
Yale University
Sangbum Park, Principal Investigator
$200,000

Human embryonic and patient-derived induced pluripotent stem cell models of neuronal ceroid lipofuscinosis
Yale University
Sreeganga Chandra, Principal Investigator
$200,000

Investigating the role of RIFI in human embryonic stem cells
Yale University
Yifei Liu, Principal Investigator
$200,000

In vivo characterization of periosteal mesenchymal stem cells
University of Connecticut Health Center
Brya Matthews, Principal Investigator
$199,500

For additional information, visit www.ct.gov/dph/stemcell .

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For Immediate Release: June 24, 2014

Facebook: Office of Governor Dannel P. Malloy