CIRM grant will help expand patients ’ access to UCLA clinical trials for stem cell, gene therapies

A five-year, $8 million grant from the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine will enable UCLA stem cellscientists to include a wider cross-section of Los Angeles ’ diverse population in potentially lifesaving medical research.In part, the grant will fund the UCLA Alpha Stem Cell Clinic ’s continued collaboration with theUCLA Clinical and Translational Science Institute, which supports more than 350 clinical trials at medical centers and community clinics throughout the region.“Integrating the Alpha Stem Cell Clinic and Clinical and Translational Science Institute enables the university to build on the breadth and depth of investigators, support staff and infrastructure that already exist here,” said Dr. Noah Federman, a UCLA Health professor of pediatrics and orthopa edic surgery, and director of the Alpha Stem Cell Clinic. “Together, we’ll continue to focus on accelerating innovative stem cell and gene therapies to patients while meeting the basic health care needs of underserved communities.”Established in 2014 with Dr. John Adams as its first director, and under the umbrella of theEli and Edythe Broad Center of Regenerative Medicine and Stem Cell Research, the Alpha clinic provides resources to help UCLA researchers overcome common roadblocks to launching clinical trials and supports their efforts to enroll Californians in need, regardless of their race, gender, age, socioeconomic status or geographic location.To reach those communities, the Alpha cl...
Source: UCLA Newsroom: Health Sciences - Category: Universities & Medical Training Source Type: news