The Regeneration Project

2007

Sponsored by
StemCell Technologies, Inc.

Mission Statement: The Regeneration Project was founded to create new human therapies based upon enhancing the body's natural regeneration and repair processes. The Project will bring together the world's best scientific minds in diverse fields such as clinical transplant medicine, stem cell biology, developmental biology, engineering, and materials science that currently rarely overlap. Through annual "think tank" meetings these leading scientists will educate each other about how their individual fields can help improve regenerative medicine. The group will design a series of truly "out-of-the-box" experiments to bridge current gaps between fields and to solve known problems in regenerative medicine using novel approaches. One key requirement for all experiments will be a focus on creating new human therapies for diseases as diverse as neurodegenerative diseases, central nervous system injuries, diabetes and blindness.

Each year the Regeneration Project will sponsor two Post-doctoral level research Fellows to execute the proposed experiments collaboratively between the participating labs. Each fellowship will be for three years and will include funding for supplies. Upon completion of the proposed research the fellows shall publish their results. To recognize the unique efforts of the fellows, they will be the first author on the publications. To promote the best and unbiased science, the Regeneration Project will be the senior author on all publications with all scientific design participants listed in alphabetical order. The board of the Project will consist of leading scientists from the variety of disciplines represented at each meeting. The charge of the board will be to select the best and most feasible of the proposed experiments, and to select that year's fellows.

To accomplish these goals, the McKnight Brain Institute and the Program in Stem Cell and Regenerative Medicine at the University of Florida will hold the inaugural Regeneration Project meeting in December 2007. The Regeneration Project was recently created with financial support from the University of Florida Office of Research, the Thomas H. Maren Foundation, and the Jon L. and Beverly A. Thompson Research Endowment to take innovative and bold new approaches toward developing regenerative medicine-based therapeutic strategies for the treatment and cure of human diseases and injuries. Another key component of the Regeneration Project will be continued outreach to the public by providing educational information and community involvement at each meeting. Public education about the promise and reality of regenerative medicine is required to maintain enthusiastic support.