2008 Woodie Awards
Legislature approves $1 billion for life sciences
Ben Williams, Collegian Staff
Issue date: 4/3/08 Section: News
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The bill, which according to the Worcester Telegram & Gazette allocates $500 million for infrastructure and new state research facilities, will allow for the new life science research center at UMass Medical.
"Our main goal is to utilize the funding through the life science initiatives to cost share a major program: the advanced therapeutics cluster," said Dr. Gary Schneider, associate vice provost for research administration.
The center will house an RNAi institute, a stem cell facility and gene therapy facility.
The facilities will also continue the Nobel Prize winning work of UMass Medical professor Craig Mello.
Schneider said that the therapeutic targets of stem cell research are "almost universal in scope in terms of diseases that could be treated […] our main centers of excellence here are cardiovascular diseases, muscular/skeletal diseases and diabetes; so those are natural targets we'll look at."
In addition to creating new infrastructure at UMass medical, the project expects to bring in new scientists to spearhead research.
"This is going to be a major building initiative which will substantially increase lab work on campus," said Schneider. "I'm certain that we won't wait until the building is up and functional until recruiting scientists to fill it up. We may be a little cramped for space for some time, but to bring together word class teams for this enterprise, we'll have to start [recruiting] soon."
Robert Connolly, spokesman for the university system, explains that while the house and senate versions of the bill are slightly different, and those differences are being worked out, there are some provisions expected to remain the same.
"The good news is there are a number of common elements, which are $95 million for another science research facility at UMass Amherst, and another $90 million for a facility at UMass medical." said Connolly, "This illustrates that the legislature and governor see UMass as an innovator in research which is great news for faculty and staff of the five-campus system, and shows they have confidence in the quality of research going on at UMass."
Ben Williams can be reached at bwilliam@student.umass.edu
Viewing Comments 1 - 2 of 2
STOP THE CORRUPTION
posted 4/03/08 @ 9:42 PM EST
umass medical center needs to be held accountable for all the bad acts that occurred under its roof before putting up a new one...
Green
posted 4/03/08 @ 10:21 PM EST
If the money is going to go anywhere it might as well go to something with a reasonable chance of accomplishing something positive. We're getting old quick as a society, the expansion of existing facilities here in MA is certainly not a bad thing (provided it doesn't end up like the Big Dig). (Continued…)
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