State Awards UConn Researchers $4.4 Million for Stem Cell Research

Nine University of Connecticut Health Center researchers were awarded $4.41 million in grants for embryonic stem cell research Tuesday, according to the University of Connecticut website.

The grants come from the Connecticut Stem Cell Research Advisory Committee, a state body appointed and established by the Connecticut General Assembly in 2005 to distribute public funds for the development of Connecticut’s stem cell research industry.

Of the funds, $1.29 million was awarded to Chondrogenics Inc., a start-up company at the Health Center for a preclinical trial of a stem-cell therapy to repair joint cartilage.

The committee distributed $9.8 million Tuesday to 20 stem cell scientists as part of the state’s sixth round of grants. The money comes from the Stem Cell Research Fund, established with $100 million dollars of state money, partially funded by the Connecticut Tobacco Settlement Fund, according to the Department of Public Health website.

UConn Health Center researchers were awarded more than $100 million in grants from various sources in 2010.