The University of California, Los Angeles has announced a $20 million grant from the Eli and Edythe Broad Foundation to fund adult and embryonic stem cell research.

The grant will support UCLA's Institute for Stem Cell Biology and Medicine, which brings together biologists, chemists, engineers, geneticists, and other scientists working on treatments for cancer, HIV/AIDS, Parkinson's disease, metabolic disorders, and other medical conditions. In addition, UCLA will use some of the funds to purchase specialized laboratory equipment and support faculty recruitment through research grants and endowed professorships. In recognition of the gift, the institute will be renamed the Eli and Edythe Broad Center of Regenerative Medicine and Stem Cell Research at UCLA.

According to institute director Dr. Owen Witte, a UCLA professor of microbiology, immunology, and molecular genetics, the gift will help UCLA advance stem cell science more quickly, positioning scientists at the leading edge of the emerging field. "Embryonic stem cells hold tremendous potential for treating many life-threatening diseases because they have the ability to develop into every type of human tissue," said Witte. "With the Broad Foundation gift, we will be able to continue to make great strides in learning how stem cells self-renew and differentiate, and to potentially translate that knowledge into treatments for the many serious ailments that plague society."