Home
You can view the current or previous issues of Diabetes Health online, in their entirety, anytime you want.
Click Here To View
See if you qualify for our free healthcare professional magazines. Click here to start your application for Pre-Diabetes Health, Diabetes Health Pharmacist and Diabetes Health Professional.
Latest Pre-Diabetes Articles
Popular Pre-Diabetes Articles
Highly Recommended Pre-Diabetes Articles
Email to a Friend
Send a link to this page to your friends and colleagues.
Novocell is the Recipient of a Disease Team Award for $20 Million from the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine to Develop a Stem Cell Therapy for the Treatment of Diabetes
This press release is an announcement submitted by Novocell, and was not written by Diabetes Health.
San Diego, CA (October 28, 2009) - Novocell, Inc., a preclinical stage diabetes company, today announced that it will receive a Disease Team award totaling $20 million from the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine (CIRM). The Disease Team includes a group of scientists at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF), led by Dr. Jeff Bluestone, which is contracted to receive $2.8 million. The funding will advance Novocell's development of a first in kind cellular therapy for the treatment of diabetes.
Novocell's proposal was selected for funding by CIRM's governing board, the Independent Citizens Oversight Committee (ICOC), with advisement from the Scientific and Medical Research Funding Working Group. "Novocell's proposal addresses an unmet medical need, contains compelling preliminary data in animals and is backed by a high quality team of scientists. It is the expectation that all Disease Team award recipients will be entering the clinic after the funding period. Novocell's systematic approach is expected to do just that, and as a consequence, CIRM and the ICOC decided to fund Novocell's efforts," said Allan Trounson, President of CIRM.
Nearly 25 million people in the United States are afflicted with diabetes. Many diabetics have loss of insulin secreting cells resulting in poor blood sugar regulation. Novocell is developing an alternative to insulin injections by producing cells that will secrete insulin in patients similar to the cells that were lost. "We thank California voters for approving Proposition 71, and CIRM and the ICOC for their support of our science and scientists. This award will substantially accelerate our progress, which will benefit millions of Americans," said John West, President & Chief Executive Officer of Novocell.
"We are grateful for the confidence in our scientific team and the continuing financial support of our development efforts. The successful development of a stem cell therapy to alleviate the suffering of millions of Americans afflicted with diabetes is our passion. With the funding assistance from the state of California we can deliver the first cellular treatment for diabetes," said Emmanuel Baetge, Ph.D., Principal Investigator & Chief Scientific Officer of Novocell.
About CIRM CIRM was established in November, 2004 with the passage of Proposition 71, the California Stem Cell Research and Cures Act. The statewide ballot measure, which provided $3 billion in funding for stem cell research at California universities and research institutions, was overwhelmingly approved by voters, and called for the establishment of an entity to make grants and provide loans for stem cell research, research facilities, and other vital research opportunities. For more information, please visit www.cirm.ca.gov.
Categories: Blood Sugar, Diabetes, Diabetes, Insulin, Pre-Diabetes, Research, Type 1 Issues
You May Also Be Interested In...
-
Diabetes Health
Diabetes Health is the essential resource for people living with diabetes- both newly diagnosed and experienced as well as the professionals who care for them. We provide balanced expert news and information on living healthfully with diabetes. Each issue includes cutting-edge editorial coverage of new products, research, treatment options, and meaningful lifestyle issues.
-
Topics
- Diabetic / Diabetes Health
- Type 1 / 1.5 Diabetes
- Type 2 Diabetes
- Blood Glucose / Sugar
- High/Low Blood Sugar / Fast Acting Glucose
- Insulin- Pumps, Pens & Syringes
- Continuous Glucose Monitors, CGM, Infusion Sets
- Type 2 Medications
- Hyperglycemia
- Hypoglycemia
Comments
Add your comments about this article below. You can add comments as a registered user or anonymously. If you choose to post anonymously your comments will be sent to our moderator for approval before they appear on this page. If you choose to post as a registered user your comments will appear instantly.
When voicing your views via the comment feature, please respect the Diabetes Health community by refraining from comments that could be considered offensive to other people. Diabetes Health reserves the right to remove comments when necessary to maintain the cordial voice of the diabetes community.
For your privacy and protection, we ask that you do not include personal details such as address or telephone number in any comments posted.
Don't have your Diabetes Health Username? Register now and add your comments to all our content.
Register...
Register your Diabetes Health Username here.
Have Your Say...