Lack of funding, politics stifle stem cell research facility plans

Wayne State’s TechTown plans to open a stem cell commercialization lab have been temporarily halted due to financial shortcomings and political battles.
TechTown’s Stem Cell Commercialization Center (SCCC), a 2,500 square-foot facility, will work with WSU faculty members who are involved with stem cell research and commercial firms. The university’s research and technology park project promises academic collaboration on an international scale and business opportunities in Detroit.
According to Randal Charlton, executive director of TechTown, five companies have already expressed interest in becoming part of the center. The center plans to develop a seed fund that would allow small companies to apply for a convertible loan.
The lab was to be completed this summer, however, the project is struggling financially.
“We are in the process of raising funds,” said James Eliason, director of the SCCC.
“We have applied for a [National Institutes of Health] grant for building out the laboratory.”
Eliason also said they are looking to receive “some matching funds from Wayne County.”
“For the center itself, we’ll probably go out and find philanthropy money to help get things going,” he said.
Robert A. Ficano, Wayne County Executive, said the county would contribute funds for the incubator system and research. He hopes the center will bring companies and money to Wayne County.
The passage of Michigan’s Stem Cell Initiative last November pushed forward the research on stem cells, which can be transformed by scientists into a replica of any cell in the body to treat everything from diabetes to brain injury.
But for many around the state, that doesn’t necessarily present a rosy picture.
State Sen. Thomas George, R-Kalamazoo, has introduced a six-bill package that could undermine the initiative and restrict the use of embryos created in fertility clinics for stem cell research.
Sophia Eichner, managing director of Michigan Citizens for Stem Cell Research and Cures, said the package is “confusing,” and “speaks to things like abortion, which has nothing to do with what the people voted for when they passed Proposal 2.”
George claims the bills would make the legislature clearer.
“This is not an attempt to undo or change what was adapted, but it is an effort to clarify it and eliminate some of the ambiguities,” he said. “If the Michigan Citizens for Stem Cell Research and Cures have any suggestions, I would welcome their input.”