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Minister Clement, Governor Schwarzenegger Join Forces to Fight Cancer Through Cancer Stem Cell Research

Thursday, June 19, 2008 General News
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SAN DIEGO, CA, June 18 /PRNewswire/ - Canada and California, two worldleaders in the area of cancer stem cell research, will join forces to gain abetter understanding of the role cancer stem cells play in the development ofthe disease.
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"This is an historic agreement. Now we are working together acrossborders, bringing together the best minds from both countries with the goal oflearning how to prevent and treat cancer for the benefit of all of ourcitizens," said Tony Clement, Minister of Health. "I am proud to announceCanada will contribute more than $100 million to the Cancer Stem CellConsortium (CSCC), which will work with the California Institute forRegenerative Medicine (CIRM) in this exciting new partnership."
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"California is committed to being a leader in stem cell research, but noone state or nation should do this alone," stated Governor Schwarzenegger."Entering into collaborations such as this, which bring together leadingmedical research capabilities, have great potential in improving the lives ofnot only Californians, but people around the world."

The three-year agreement lays the foundation for CIRM and CSCC to explorecollaborative approaches to evaluate, fund and monitor cancer stem cellresearch projects.

The announcement was made at the BIO 2008 International Convention in SanDiego, California by Canadian Health Minister Tony Clement, Dr. Alan Trounson,President of the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine (CIRM), RobertN. Klein, Chairman of the Governing Board of CIRM and Dr. Martin Godbout, CEOof Genome Canada and Chairman of the Board of the Cancer Stem Cell Consortium.

The first potential area for collaboration under consideration is theupcoming CIRM Disease Team grants. These grants will provide an opportunityfor researchers in California and Canada to collaborate, broadening thepotential pool of expertise that can be applied toward research in a specificarea.

The Disease Team Awards will support multi-disciplinary teams ofscientists in pursuit of therapies for specific diseases. The goal is to fundthe work of disease teams that would result in therapy or diagnostics for aparticular disease or serious injury. Request for Applications (RFA) for thesegrants will be issued by CIRM in October with grants announced in June 2009.Successful proposals will likely include a description of a path to anInvestigational New Drug filing at the end of the four-to-five year grant.

"Canadian researchers have been at the forefront on stem cell research andDrs. James Till and Ernest McCullough received the Lasker Prize for work,which pioneered the field. By working together across borders and bringingtogether the top scientists from both countries to tackle cancer stem cellresearch, I believe we will be able to shorten the time to bring greatimprovements to the lives of those affected by cancer," said the HonourableTony Clement, Minister of Health for Canada.

"One of CIRM's primary goals is to accelerate the field of stem cellresearch as a whole. In some instances we can do this more effectively throughcollaborations that involve the best scientific endeavors, regardless ofgeography" said Dr. Alan Trounson, President of CIRM. "Through thisrelationship, CIRM money will continue to be earmarked only for research thattakes place within California, but our funding can be significantly leveragedto accelerate the clinical benefits for patients. Coordinating our jointefforts in cancer stem cell research through collaborative programs with ourcolleagues in Canada will enhance the opportunities to contain and to preventrecurrence of certain cancers."

"We are excited about the opportunities presented by this internationalcollaboration with our Canadian colleagues," stated Robert N. Klein, Chairmanof the Governing Board of CIRM, the state stem cell agency." Coordinatingscientific efforts should sh
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