Buck Institute banking on stem cell research

The Buck Institute will soon be the worlds one-stop shop for stem cells, as a pair of research firms plan to rent space at the Novato facility to operate a stem-cell bank.

Coriell Institute for Medical Research, out of New Jersey, and Cellular Dynamics International, of Wisconsin, will use a $26 million grant from the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine to operate the banks on approximately 4,500 square feet at the Buck Institute.

According to CIRM officials, the bank will house pluripotent stem cells which, like human embryonic stem cells, can potentially develop into any type of cell--blood, skin, or other major organs--but are already mature and dont have to be harvested from embryos. CDI will create the pluripotent stem cell lines and gauge them against samples drawn from both healthy and diseased donors. The Coriell Institute will bank the stem cell lines once they have been induced.

Officials say the stem-cell bank could be up before the year is out; the two firms have signed a five-year lease with the Buck Institute.

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Buck Institute banking on stem cell research