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Mumbai: Seven years after its inception amid much fanfare, Reliance Life Sciences, or RLS, is finally rolling out stem cell-based therapies in India, beginning with a treatment that can restore or improve vision. “This is the first commercial stem cell treatment in ophthalmology in the country,” said K.V. Subramaniam, CEO and president, RLS, part of the Mukesh Ambani-led Reliance group. The company, which has invested around Rs1,000 crore in the business, has lined up other stem cell therapies for cardiac infarction, diabetic ulcer, and stable vitiligo or leukoderma (a skin disease), among others, to be offered in clinics in the...

The progress in using stem cell therapy may have hit a minor bump, according to a new study. The study indicated that using stem cells to regenerate damaged tissue, a step that can be used in the treatment of diseases, may turn out to be a complicated affair, after all.  Nobel laureate and geneticist from the University of Utah Mario Capecchi conducted the study jointly with Eugenio Sangiorgi, another geneticist. It was conducted on mice and involved the use of a gene called Bm1 to indicate that adult stem cells were present in the intestine of the mice. While that...

NICE, France: In patients with multiple sclerosis (MS), immunosuppressive therapy followed by autologous haematopoietic stem cell transplantation elicited high response rates and improved quality of life for up to 6 years. The results of the study were presented here at the 18th Meeting of the European Neurological Society (ENS) by Tatiana Ionova, MD, PhD, Department of Haematology, Pirogov National Medical Surgical Center, Moscow, Russia. During the last decade, high-dose immunosuppressive therapy followed by autologous haematopoietic stem cell transplantation has been used with increasing frequency as a therapeutic option for patients with MS. "The aim of the study was to assess...

New York is set to spend $600 million in taxpayer dollars on stem cell research. A recently released draft plan drooling over the potential of embryonic cells to cure a variety of diseases has drawn this blast from Rev. Ruben Diaz, the state senate's sole pro-life Democrat: June 13, 2008Judy Doesschate, J.D.Director of Board OperationsWadsworth CenterNew York State Department of HealthEmpire State Plaza, Box 509Albany, NY 12208-0509Dear Ms. Doesschate:This letter is to express my response to the Empire State Stem Cell Board’s strategic framework that will guide New York State’s $600 Million, 11-year investment in stem cell research. The...

LifeNews.com Note: William Beckman is the executive director of the Illinois Right to Life Committee. Opinion articles like this one do not necessarily reflect the views of LifeNews.com. The June 19, 2008 headline reads “US doctors kill skin cancer with cloned T-cells.” Does this suggest that human cloning of embryonic stem cells has been successful in treating skin cancer? Absolutely not! The details of the New England Journal of Medicine report that generated this news coverage reveal that adult stem cells obtained from the patient were used. As reported in ScienceDaily, researchers “removed CD4+ T cells, a type of white...

Gordon Brown backs animal-human hybrids By Subhajit Banerjee and agencies Last Updated: 2:31PM BST 18/05/2008   Gordon Brown today strongly defended the medical use of animal-human hybrid embryos, ahead of a key Commons vote on the issue. The Prime Minister said that stem cell research was an "inherently moral endeavour" and a "profound opportunity" to save and transform millions of lives. "Britain is at the forefront of this research and responsible for much of the worldwide progress," he wrote in The Observer newspaper. The premier supports scientists who want to insert the nuclei of human cells into animal eggs,...

Jefferson City, MO (LifeNews.com) -- A measure that responds to the 2006 Amendment 2 proposal Missouri voters narrowly approved will not make the ballot this November. The measure would prohibit somatic cell nuclear transfer, a type of human cloning practice used by scientists to create and kill human beings for research purposes. It is designed to close a pro-cloning loophole in Amendment 2 that opponents hard warned would lead to human cloning. On Friday, the Missouri Court of Appeals ruled that part of Secretary of State Robin Carnahan’s ballot summary was “insufficient and unfair.” Carnahan released the ballot summary in...

Some Republicans groaned at Gov. Rick Perry's announcement that he plans to seek another term in 2010, but Mayor Bill White's camp reacted with glee. White has made no effort to hide the fact that he is looking to run for governor after being term-limited out of the mayor's office next year. And Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison, the biggest vote-getter in Texas history, has been more than hinting that she plans to "come home" to run for the same office. She outlined to Texas Monthly last November a plan to resign the Senate in 2009 to make the race, while...

Washington, DC (LifeNews.com) -- A new article in the Journal of the American Medical Association makes it clear adult stem cell research is leading the way in providing tangible assistant to patients with a variety of ailments. The article validates bioethicists who have said the use of adult stem cells can treat a wide variety of diseases already. Richard K. Burt, M.D., of the Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine and colleagues conducted a review of articles on both types of stem cell research. They found dozens of applications for adult stem cells appearing to justify the famous list Dr....

The Perth scientist who made the world-first discovery that human breast milk contains stem cells is confident that within five years scientists will be harvesting them to research treatment for conditions as far-reaching as spinal injuries, diabetes and Parkinson’s disease. But what Dr Mark Cregan is excited about right now is the promise that his discovery could be the start of many more exciting revelations about the potency of breast milk. He believes that it not only meets all the nutritional needs of a growing infant but contains key markers that guide his or her development into adulthood. “We already...

BRISTOL, UK, February 12, 2008 (LifeSiteNews.com) - A two year old girl from Suffolk has been cured of a rare form of cancer using genetically matched adult stem cells from a Japanese donor. Last week, news reports around the world revealed Sorrel Mason, a toddler from Great Wratting in Suffolk suffering from acute myeloid leukaemia, received a transplant of donated cells from a frozen umbilical cord from Tokyo. Sorrel's mother, Samantha Mason, told media, "Sorrel would be dead now if she had been left untreated." The little girl was given a 30 per cent chance of survival when she was...

If there was ever any question as to how diverse the Republican Party is, this campaign season has answered it. The reason there are so many viable candidates in the Republican presidential primary this year is because each candidate hails from a different part of the Republican base. That Republican diversity earns a special New Year’s Look. Rudy Giuliani hails from the liberal wing of the Republican Party. The Republican liberals are regionally based in the Northeast. They think that women should have the right to choose abortion, support destructive embryonic stem cell research, and generally support homosexual rights. They...

Former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney said on NBC’s “Meet the Press” today that he wept with relief when the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, the Mormons, announced a 1978 revelation that the priesthood would no longer be denied to persons of African descent. Romney’s eyes appeared to fill with tears as he discussed the emotional subject during a high-stakes appearance that he handled with no major blunders. “I was anxious to see a change in my church,” said the Republican presidential candidate, appearing for the full hour just two weeks ahead of the crucial Iowa caucuses. “I can...

WASHINGTON — Fred Thompson received an important endorsement recently from the National Right to Life Committee, although enthusiasm for his campaign has faded since his high poll numbers in September. The pro-life organization announced its endorsement in November based on the Republican presidential candidate’s pro-life voting record as a former Tennessee senator. “Fred Thompson has had a strong, consistent pro-life record throughout his political career,” said Wanda Franz, president of National Right to Life. Franz also mentioned that Thompson has consistently opposed Roe v. Wade, federally funded abortions, and embryonic stem-cell research. The endorsement attracted additional interest in the Thompson...

Now, I know what you're thinking: So suddenly scientists discover they can indeed reprogram adult skin cells back to a pluripotent state, the pro-life community goes wild with joy, the end of the stem-cell wars seems to be in sight, and Lydia gets cold feet about biting the bullet she said she would bite on exactly this sort of reprograming. (Mixed metaphor alert.)   Those of you who slogged through my earlier ANT-OAR post will remember that I said that making pluripotent stem cells like embryonic stem cells in the lab is wrong even if it doesn't involve making and...

The scientist who helped ignite cultural and political controversy with the use of embryos in stem-cell research believes his new discovery – using ordinary adult skin cells – means the war is virtually over. "A decade from now, this will be just a funny historical footnote," James A. Thomson told the New York Times in an interview. Thomson's laboratory at the University of Wisconsin was one of two that announced Tuesday a new way to turn ordinary human skin cells into what appear to be embryonic stem cells without using a human embryo. The technique involves adding four genes to...

November 21, 2007, 1:40 a.m. Brave New FutureWorking together with stem cells. An NRO Symposium On Tuesday, two scientific journals announced news of a breakthrough that could put an end to our dead-end political debates about stem-cell research. In response to the news, National Review Online asked a group of experts: How big is Tuesday’s new somatic-cell reprogramming news? Where does the stem-cell/cloning debate go from here? How should politics respond? Here’s what they had to say. William HurlbutThe news represents very hopeful progress toward a complete resolution to the stem-cell impasse. I think the president deserves a lot...

New studies threaten to undermine everything you've been told about embryonic stem cell research. The following is a must read for anyone interested in the whole story on stem cell research.  The debate over stem cell research is raging across the nation and echoing through chambers of Congress and state legislatures. Most people have heard just enough to offer an opinion to friends and neighbors; yet, the information they receive is incomplete and often inaccurate. Every new study on embryonic stem cells produces an onslaught of optimistic articles confidently proclaiming that with just a little more time and a lot...

Irvine, CA (LifeNews.com) -- A new study by researchers at the University of California, Irvine finds another advance in the use of adult stem cells. In this case, researchers used the stem cells from the brain of a mouse to restore memory following a brain injury. The team used the neural stem cells to protect existing cells that were still healthy following the injury and to restore neuronal connections that had been damaged. Scientists were able to restore the brain to pre-damaged levels three months following the treatment. Lead researcher Mathew Blurton-Jones, a postdoctorate fellow at the university, told the...

In a recent editorial, The New York Times laments a “vexing” problem that is slowing embryonic stem cell research: “There are distressingly few women willing to donate their eggs for experiments at the frontiers of this promising science.” Why? Well, here’s The Times’ explanation: Many were likely deterred by the time, effort and pain required — including daily hormone injections and minor surgery — to retrieve the eggs. And they were almost certainly discouraged by the meager compensation.Although women can be paid thousands of dollars to donate eggs for fertility treatments, ethical guidelines and some state laws say they cannot...

I like Arthur Branch, the tough-minded district attorney I used to see on NBC's "Law & Order." I like his deep voice and his comforting Southern charm. I like his steadfast determination to seek justice and his clear sense of right and wrong. I've been less certain about Fred Thompson, the actor who played him. He mismanaged his campaign and lost a wave of momentum by delaying the announcement of his presidential bid. He traded Republican debates for late-night talk shows. He's been unspectacular on the campaign trail. But this week, something happened that's making me reconsider my assessment of...

A British pro-life group warns that a new type of embryo research, likely to be approved this week by a U.K. government panel, undermines human dignity. Britain's Human Fertilization and Embryology Authority is expected to give a green light this week to U.K. laboratories seeking to create the first animal-human embryos for medical research using eggs taken from dead cows. British scientists want to use the hybrid embryos in order to research genetic diseases. Anthony Ozimic, political secretary for the Society for the Protection of Unborn Children, opposes the embryo-destructive research. He says that an "a-nucleated" cow egg will only...

HOUSTON, August 10, 2007 (LifeSiteNews.com) - An Alabama woman was successfully cured during a groundbreaking study in which adult stem cells were used to regenerate her failing heart, CitizenLink reports. Carron Morrow, a 58-year mother of two, was on a heart-transplant waiting list after she suffered a massive heart attack last year while hanging up lanterns for an outdoor event. She discovered afterwards that her heart was functioning at less than fifty percent of its normal level. Morrow was devastated by the worsening condition that made it impossible for her to walk without support. In the midst of this very...

With ethical issues concerning use of discarded embryos and technical problems hindering development of stem cell therapies, scientists in Korea are reporting the first successful use of a drug-like molecule to transform human muscle cells into nerve cells.  Their report, scheduled for the August 8 issue of the Journal of the American Chemical Society, a weekly journal, states that the advance could lead to new treatments for stroke, Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease and other neurological disorders. In the study, Injae Shin and colleagues point out that stem cell research shows promise for repairing or replacing damaged nerve cells to treat...

Last week the scientific world was abuzz with the news that adult stem cells could be used to regenerate tissues and cure diseases. This week, the political world is abuzz with the news of President Bush’s veto of Congressional legislation and his own alternative Executive Order for Expanding Approved Stem Cell Lines in Ethically Responsible Ways. While the Usual Suspects are busy denouncing Bush for being anti-science, the media debate completely obscures the economic interests at stake. Big bio-tech companies stand to make money from government subsidy of embryonic stem cell research. By contrast, the use of stem cells from...

Turning Stem Cells Taken From Fat Tissue Into Personalized, Cancer-targeted Therapeutics Researchers in Slovakia have been able to derive mesenchymal stem cells from human adipose, or fat, tissue and engineer them into "suicide genes" that seek out and destroy tumors like tiny homing missiles. This gene therapy approach is a novel way to attack small tumor metastases that evade current detection techniques and treatments, the researchers conclude in the July 1 issue of Cancer Research, a journal of the American Association for Cancer Research. "These fat-derived stem cells could be exploited for personalized cell-based therapeutics," said the study's lead investigator,...

Boston, MA (LifeNews.com) -- A Massachusetts Institute of Technology stem cell researcher who has been denied tenure has no been locked out of his laboratory. Dr. James L. Sherley, a black associate professor of biological engineering who opposes embryonic stem cell research and human cloning, has said he is a victim of racism. Sherley has been an outspoken advocate against human cloning -- including the kind of therapeutic cloning his colleagues and other scientists want to use to create and destroy human embryos for their stem cells. He has been fighting for tenure at MIT for over two years and...

The debate over embryonic stem cell research continues to escalate in our country, and remains a topic of significant public interest. Because of this growing public interest, I am often invited to participate in public debates on stem cell research and cloning. My sparring partners are usually other scientists, politicians, or public policy experts. The debates are typically held at universities or colleges, and audiences generally have the opportunity to ask questions of both sides afterwards.  Having participated in a number of these debates over the past few years, I've been surprised by how often certain arguments are trotted out...

Kansas City, MO (LifeNews.com) -- Fred Thompson hasn't announced his candidacy for the GOP nomination for president, but he looked like one when addressing the National Right to Life convention last week. Thompson sent a video message to the 1,200 attendees and said he opposed both abortion and embryonic stem cell research. The video showed the former Tennessee senator with his wife and two young girls and he told pro-life advocates that his family helps him appreciate pro-life values. “When I was in the Senate a lot of people would come to see me and it usually would have to...

London, England (LifeNews.com) -- British scientists hope to use embryonic stem cells to cure blind patients age-related macular degeneration (AMD), the leading cause of blindness among elderly people. However, other doctors have already used adult stem cell research to treat blind patients and their conditions have vastly improved. Retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) cells within the eye play a vital role in the survival and maintenance of the rods and cones that detect light and color. Death of RPE cells may lead to the condition known as AMD. The British researchers hope to develop the embryonic stem cells, which can only...

In a fundamental discovery that someday may help cure type 1 diabetes by allowing people to grow their own insulin-producing cells for a damaged or defective pancreas, medical researchers here have reported that they have engineered adult stem cells derived from human umbilical cord blood to produce insulin. The researchers announced their laboratory finding, which caps nearly four years of research, in the June 2007 issue of the medical journal Cell Proliferation, posted online this week. Their paper calls it "the first demonstration that human umbilical cord blood-derived stem cells can be engineered" to synthesize insulin. "This discovery tells us...

Prescott, Wis. - Phillips Plastics Corp., a custom injection molder and materials science company based in Prescott, Wis., has entered into a collaborative agreement with a St. Paul biomedical company to develop and commercialize stem cell therapeutics for orthopedic applications.  The agreement with BioE, Inc., which develops human stem cells for drug discovery and therapeutic research, represents a convergence of medical technologies in the form of bio-devices, and has enormous potential for the orthopedic industry, according to Michael Haider, president and CEO of BioE. The companies plan to develop “orthobiologics” products from BioE's proprietary multi-lineage progenitor cell, which is derived...

Cleveland BioLabs, Inc. (Boston Stock Exchange: CFB), today announced the results of a study of the efficacy of Protectan CBLB612, in an animal bone marrow stem cell transplantation model. Blood from healthy mice treated by Protectan CBLB612 was transplanted into mice that received a lethal dose of radiation that killed hematopoietic (bone marrow/blood production) stem cells. A small amount of blood from the CBLB612 treated mice successfully rescued the mice with radiation-induced bone marrow stem cell deficiency. 100% of the deficient mice transplanted with blood from CBLB612 treated mice survived past the 60-day mark, while 85% of the untreated deficient...

For the more than 13 million women in the U.S. who suffer from stress urinary incontinence, stem cells derived from their own muscle cells may improve the condition, a study shows. "Five of eight women got a modest degree of improvement, and one woman was dry," says Michael Chancellor, MD, a urologist at the University of Pittsburgh. Chancellor presented the results of a study at the 2007 annual meeting of the American Urological Association in Anaheim, Calif. At the same meeting, other researchers reported their efforts in obtaining stem cells from the body's fat tissue, from urine, and from human...

ANAHEIM, Ca. (May 21, 2007) -- Tissue engineering and regenerative medicine offer future patients greater options for treatment and cure of a wide array of urologic conditions, and controversies surrounding the sources of stem cells as well as their use have fueled increased research. Developers from around the world are researching new sources and applications of stem cells. A special session for media highlighting this research was held on May 21 at 9:00 a.m. PDT and was moderated by Roger R. Dmochowski, M.D. ISOLATION OF HUMAN SPERMATOGONIAL STEM CELLS FROM TESTICULAR PARENCHYMA AND DIFFERENTIATION TOWARDS DIFFERENT TISSUES OF THE THREE...

TONY EASTLEY: If you're over 65, chances are you or your spouse has coronary artery disease. One in two older Australians have the condition and heart disease is still the number one cause of premature death and disability in this country. Scientists have already managed to create heart tissue that beats, and they believe stem cells could be the missing piece of a puzzle that will finally allow them to make a new heart muscle from a person's own tissue. Jane Cowan reports. JANE COWAN: One of the things that makes heart disease so difficult to treat is that heart...

Stem cells derived from bone marrow and intrastromally injected into the corneas of mice can differentiate into keratocan-producing cells, according to an experimental study by researchers at the University of Cincinnati. Winston Whei-Yang Kao, PhD, and colleagues investigated whether bone marrow stem cells could differentiate into cells that expressed keratocan, a characteristic of corneal keratocytes. The study involved Kera-/- mice. Hongshan Liu, PhD, a research scientist in the university's ophthalmology department, presented their findings at the Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology meeting. The researchers found that, after 1 week, the abnormal corneas of animals injected with the stem...

Cord Blood Registry® (CBR®), the world’s largest and most experienced cord blood stem cell bank, today announced that it has released a total of five stem cell samples in the first quarter of the year for transplant or infusion. Three of the cases are individuals who will require their own cord blood stem cells for autologous infusions for cerebral palsy, type I diabetes, and a rare autoimmune disorder related to autism. The additional two samples were released for use by a sibling in each family: one to treat acute myeloid leukemia and the other to treat a serious blood disease,...

New studies in the laboratory of Dr. Darwin J. Prockop, Director of Tulane University’s Center for Gene Therapy, are shedding light on the previously mysterious mechanism through which even relatively small amounts of stem/progenitor cells taken from a patient’s own bone marrow enhance repair of damaged tissues. The cells not only differentiate to replace injured cells, as had been understood, but they also stimulate the proliferation and differentiation of stem cells already present in the injured tissue and they transfer mitochondrial DNA to local cells in which the mitochondria (the energy of the cell) is not working. Better understanding of...

Oxford scientists have revealed a link between a gene and the activity of human blood stem cells, giving hope that stem cell transplant success for blood cancer patients may be significantly improved. Dr Rajeev Gupta, a Leukaemia Research-funded consultant haematologist, has uncovered that the gene Nephroblastoma Overexpressed ( Nov ) plays a key role in regulating the production of blood from stem cells. The work, which was carried out in the MRC Molecular Haematology Unit, is published in the journal Science. Stem cells are vital for normal blood production and are used in transplants in patients with leukaemia and other...

Years ago, a diagnosis of myeloma — cancer of the immune system's white blood cells — often meant the patient had only months to live. Although mortality rates from the various forms of myeloma are still high, research in the past decade has increased the rate of remission and the lifespan of patients, according to Dr. Bart Barlogie. Barlogie, a leading multiple myeloma researcher, discussed efforts to improve survivorship and find a cure for the group of blood diseases Monday at Good Samaritan Medical Center. He is director of the Myeloma Institute at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences....

NEW ORLEANS, May 1 (UPI) -- A U.S. study has partly resolved the mystery of how small amounts of adult stem/progenitor cells can repair damaged brain, pancreas, and kidney cells. The researchers in the laboratory of Darwin Prockop, director of Tulane University's Center for Gene Therapy, found the cells not only differentiate to replace injured cells, but also stimulate the proliferation and differentiation of stem cells already present in the injured tissue. Prockop said a better understanding of the different mechanisms of the stem/progenitor cells suggests multiple strategies for developing new therapies for a broad range of diseases, as well...

Stem Cell therapy is being touted as the answer to many chronic ailments. But even as research is being done, many are already benefitting from it. In the small town of Nagasamudra, just a few miles away from Jog Falls in Karnataka, S B Ramesh, all of 28 years, had built a home with his wife, son and a cable operating business, and dreamt of a fast-paced expansion of his business. Instead, what followed was a nightmare that left him bedridden, numb and disheartened. Today, as he tells me his story over the phone, he expresses the joy he feels...

Cincinnati - Adult bone marrow stem cells may help cure certain genetic eye diseases, according to UC researchers. Scientists have completed a study using mice which showed that bone marrow stem cells can switch roles and produce keratocan, a natural protein involved in the growth of the cornea—the transparent, outer layer of the eyeball. This ability of marrow cells to “differentiate” into keratocan-producing cells might provide a means for treating abnormal corneal cell growth in people. Winston Whei-Yang Kao, PhD, professor of ophthalmology, and Hongshan Liu, PhD, research scientist in the department of ophthalmology, will present their findings at the...

Calling Sheryl Crow "a high profile proponent of the destruction of innocent lives," the Roman Catholic archbishop of St. Louis resigned as head of a children's medical charity that featured the singer for a benefit concert. Archbishop Raymond Burke resigned as chairman of the Cardinal Glennon Children's Foundation after its board of governors refused to pull the plug on Crow's Saturday concert in St. Louis. She is "well-known as an abortion activist" and proponent of stem cell research, he said in a statement on Wednesday, and her appearance is "an affront to the identity and mission of the medical center,...

MELBOURNE, April 18, 2007 (LifeSiteNews.com) - A man's vision has been restored by a corneal patch grown from adult stem cells by a team at the University of Melbourne's Centre for Eye Research Australia (CERA) and the Bernard O'Brien Institute of Microsurgery (BOBIM). The patch, which replicates the cornea, was cultivated from a single stem cell from a donor eye and was transplanted to the surface of the man's eyes. The research team was led by Dr Mark Daniell (CERA) and Dr Erik Thompson (BOBIM). The process, known as a limbal stem cell transplant, is thought to be the first...

Columnist Ken Blackwell, a Senior Fellow at the Family Research Council, objects to federal, state and local laws that “turn the American taxpayer into an unwitting or unwilling investor,” citing the U.S. Senate’s bill to provide federal funding for research involving human embryonic stem cells. Interestingly, he bases his argument on economics, not ethics: [T]he heart of the issue is whether taxpayer dollars should be funneled to these scientific enterprises. Since his national address on August 9, 2001, when President Bush announced that the government would provide stem cells for research using cell lines that were already in existence as...

US President George W. Bush vowed today to veto legislation to lift his restrictions on human embryonic stem cell research after the Senate passed a bill to remove the limits. "This Bill crosses a moral line that I and many others find troubling," Mr Bush said. "If it advances all the way through Congress to my desk, I will veto it." The Senate voted 63-34 in favour of a Bill lifting a restriction on using federal funds for stem cell research on human embryos, but the tally was short of the two-thirds majority needed to override a veto. The House...

Thirteen young diabetics in Brazil have ditched their insulin shots and need no other medication thanks to a risky, but promising treatment with their own stem cells — apparently the first time such a feat has been accomplished. Though too early to call it a cure, the procedure has enabled the young people, who have type 1 diabetes, to live insulin-free so far, some as long as three years. The treatment involves stem cell transplants from the patients’ own blood. “It’s the first time in the history of type 1 diabetes where people have gone with no treatment whatsoever ......

Statement From UMass President On Governor's Stem Cell Policy Announcement Today & UMass Stem Cell Initiatives University of Massachusetts President Jack M. Wilson today expressed his strong support for Governor Patrick's proposal to reverse state restrictions on stem cell research imposed by the previous administration, citing the importance of the research in developing cures for disease and in maintaining Massachusetts' national leadership in the life science industry. Wilson also serves as Vice Chairman of the Board of the Massachusetts Life Sciences Center, which oversees state funding for life science initiatives. "As the president of the University of Massachusetts, which does...