UCI  dedicates Sue and Bill Gross Hall: A CIRM Institute

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State-of-the-art building will be regional hub for burgeoning field of stem cell research

 

Irvine, Calif., May 10, 2010 — In one of the most significant milestones in its 45-year history, UC Irvine will dedicate its $80-million, 100,000-square-foot stem cell research building Friday, May 14.

 

Reflecting the campus’s deep commitment to shaping the future of healthcare, Sue and Bill Gross Hall: A CIRM Institute is the first major stem cell center in Southern California, a region known for biomedical innovation.

 

It’s also the state’s first such facility built from the ground up and designed specifically for stem cell research, placing UCI at the forefront of a burgeoning field that gives hope to millions of people worldwide who suffer from such debilitating conditions as Alzheimer’s disease, spinal cord injury, diabetes and macular degeneration.

 

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The four-story, state-of-the-art building will serve as a regional hub for stem cell research and educational activities. It will house the Sue and Bill Gross Stem Cell Research Center, dozens of lab-based and clinical researchers, a stem cell techniques course, and a master’s program in biotechnology with an emphasis on stem cell research.

 

“As a physician, I know there are only a few times in history when a discovery occurs that can dramatically change the course of medicine,” Chancellor Michael Drake said. “And now we’re at the threshold of the realization of medical discoveries – based on stem cells and regenerative medicine – that could prove to be the next great advance in medicine.”

 

Sue and Bill Gross Hall: A CIRM Institute is the result of a successful public-private partnership to transform modern medicine. The California Institute for Regenerative Medicine (CIRM) – created through 2004’s Proposition 71, funding stem cell research – allocated $27.2 million to the project.

 

Laguna Beach philanthropists Sue and Bill Gross made an initial $10-million gift that the campus leveraged to attract the CIRM award. Bill Gross is co-founder and co-chief investment officer of Newport Beach-based PIMCO, one of the world’s largest investment management firms. The remaining funds came from additional private support and the University of California.

 

“The dedication of this important building is exciting for UCI, CIRM and the entire state,” said Robert Klein, chair of CIRM’s governing body. “Proposition 71’s early ‘push’ for construction of research facilities like Sue and Bill Gross Hall will now generate a long-term ‘pull’ of added funding from other organizations. This will, in turn, accelerate stem cell research and therapy development for California patients and their families.”

 

Since the campus’s founding in 1965, UCI scientists have conducted seminal biological research to understand and unlock the potential of stem cells. Among several major breakthroughs, they pioneered the use of human stem cells to treat spinal cord injuries and demonstrated that neural stem cells may help restore memory after brain damage.

 

In addition, UCI experts are at the forefront of human embryonic stem cell research, which fully aligns the campus with CIRM’s goals.

 

“We realize the importance of the mission this new, state-of-the-art facility presents to us,” said Peter Donovan, director of the Sue and Bill Gross Stem Cell Research Center. “We know stem cell research and regenerative medicine represent hope to millions of people, and we aspire to fully deliver on their potential.”

 

About the University of California, Irvine: Founded in 1965, UCI is a top-ranked university dedicated to research, scholarship and community service. Led by Chancellor Michael Drake since 2005, UCI is among the most dynamic campuses in the University of California system, with nearly 28,000 undergraduate and graduate students, 1,100 faculty and 9,000 staff. Orange County’s largest employer, UCI contributes an annual economic impact of $3.9 billion. For more UCI news, visit www.today.uci.edu.

 

 

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