Program and Building Infrastructure

Program Infrastructure

CIRM has developed several programs that provide scientists the tools, technologies, resources and support they need to advance stem cell research towards therapies for patients with unmet medical needs.

Alpha Stem Cell Clinics

The goal of the Alpha Clinics Network is to accelerate the development and delivery of stem cell therapies to patients. To achieve this goal, CIRM has funded five stem cell-focused clinics at the City of Hope, UC San Diego, UC San Francisco, UC Davis, and a joint clinic between UC Los Angeles and UC Irvine. This network of clinics will attract and conduct high quality trials that will bring together and ultimately benefit patients, researchers, clinicians, and the companies or institutions behind the trials.

For more, check out our Alpha Stem Cell Clinics page.

Stem Cell Center

The Stem Cell Center (SCC) supports stem cell focused process development, manufacturing, preclinical safety testing, and other activities needed to successfully apply to the FDA for approval to start a clinical trial.  The SCC includes the Translating Center, which supports activities related to cell process development, manufacturing and research necessary to obtain an Investigational New Drug (IND) application – a prerequisite for clinical testing of cell therapy product candidates and the Accelerating Center, which supports IND submissions and clinical trials for projects.  Both CIRM-funded centers were awarded to IQVIA in 2016, creating the SCC.

For more, check out our Stem Cell Center page.

Center of Excellence in Stem Cell Genomics (CESCG)

CIRM’s goal in establishing the CESCG is to apply genomics and bioinformatics approaches to stem cell research to accelerate a deeper understanding of human biology and the disease process in cancer, diabetes, heart disease and mental health. The hope is that this knowledge will lead to advances in medical research and to the development of better, safer and more effective therapies. The CESCG is composed of Operational Cores at Stanford University and at the Salk Institute and a Data Coordination and Management Core at the University of California Santa Cruz, which currently support both center-initiated projects and collaborative research projects.

For more, check out our Genomics Initiative page.

Induced Pluripotent Stem Cell (iPSC) Repository

The iPSC Initiative is a major effort from CIRM to create a comprehensive bank of stem cell lines derived from thousands of individual donors with a diverse array of diseases. The main purpose of the iPSC bank is to provide scientists with tools and resources to study how and why disease happens and to develop and test new drugs or other therapies. When completed, the full iPSC bank will provide iPSC lines for heart, lung, liver, brain and eye diseases.

For more, check out our iPSC Repository page.

Building Infrastructure

CIRM’s major facilities program has created state-of-the art space for carrying out stem cell research. The agency’s initial investment of $271 million leveraged $543 million in private donations and institutional commitments toward 12 buildings and recruitments. That investment created 13,000 job-years and $100 million in tax revenues for the state at a time at a time when they were most critically needed.

John Pérez, California Assembly Speaker, said: “CIRM’s investment in stem cell research buildings created jobs and revenue for the state and solidifies California’s position as the leader in developing the stem cell therapies of the future. One of the next great California industries will be biomedical research, and CIRM is leading the way.”

Buck Institute for Research on Aging

Regenerative Medicine Research Center
Total: $36.5 M
CIRM: $20.5 M

Sanford Consortium

Sanford Consortium for Regenerative Medicine
Total: $127 M
T. Denny Sanford: $19 M
CIRM: $43 M

Stanford University

Lorry I. Lokey Stem Cell Research Building
Total: $200 M
Lorry Lokey: $75 M
CIRM: $43.6 M

University of California, Berkeley

Li Ka Shing Center for Biomedical and Health Sciences
Total: $257 M
Li Ka Shing: $40 M
CIRM: $20 M

University of California, Davis

Institute for Regenerative Cures
Total: $62 M
CIRM: $20 M

University of California, Irvine

Sue and Bill Gross Stem Cell Research Center
Total: $80 M
CIRM: $27.2 M
Sue & Bill Gross: $10 M

University of California, Los Angeles

Eli and Edythe Broad Center of Regenerative Medicine and Stem Cell Research
Total: $43 M
The Eli and Edythe Broad Foundation: $20 M
CIRM: $19.8 M

University of California, Merced

Stem Cell Instrumentation Foundry
Total: $7 M
Ed and Jeanne Kashian: $100,000
CIRM: $4.4 M

University of California, San Francisco

Ray and Dagmar Dolby Regeneration Medicine Building
Total: $123 M
CIRM: $34.9 M
Ray and Dagmar Dolby: $36 M
The Eli and Edythe Broad Foundation: $25 M

University of Southern California

Eli and Edythe Broad CIRM Center for Regenerative Medicine and Stem Cell Research
Total: $80 M
CIRM: $27 M
The Eli and Edythe Broad Foundation: $30 M

University of California, Santa Cruz

Institute for the Biology of Stem Cells
Total: $83.7 M
CIRM: $7.2 M

University of California, Santa Barbara

Center for Stem Cell Biology and Engineering
Total: $6.4 M
CIRM: $3.1 M