OU and Beaumont Hospitals announce venture into stem cell research

During the 2010 World Stem Cell Summit in Detroit on Tuesday, Oakland University and Beaumont Hospitals shared news of an exciting expansion of their medical education and research partnership.

With the Oakland University William Beaumont School of Medicine set to open with its inaugural class in fall 2011, its parent institutions have launched the Oakland University William Beaumont Institute for Stem Cell and Regenerative Medicine (ISCRM).

This collaborative project is inspired by the great hope stem cell research offers for the prevention and treatment of many debilitating, untreatable diseases and cancers.

"This initiative significantly enhances the research-intensive focus that Oakland University has embraced as part of its academic mission," said Virinder Moudgil, OU's senior vice president and provost.

"We're thrilled with the opportunity to work with Beaumont Hospitals in naming highly accomplished investigators to the institute, and we're confident their work will hold great potential to change human lives for the better."

The institute's partners aim to make it a world leader in basic and translational stem cell research. With a multi-disciplinary approach, the ISCRM will generate new knowledge and insight of stem cell science and train future health care leaders and innovators to maximize the benefits of stem cell medicine.

"Beaumont brings a tremendous focus on medical research applied to direct patient care," said David Felten, M.D., Ph.D., vice president, research and Medical Director of the Research Institute at Beaumont Hospitals and associate dean for research of the School of Medicine.

"The collaboration of our institutions in stem cell research and regenerative medicine will certainly add to our body of knowledge and be an important focus of research for the Oakland University William Beaumont School of Medicine."

Oakland University and Beaumont leaders expect the ISCRM to become a self-supporting unit within three years of its inception, relying on extramural funding from state, federal and philanthropic sources. It will be led by an executive board of six members and guided by an advisory board of 10-15 members.