Delaware (Stem Cell) – what-when-how

WITH THE FOUNDING of the Delaware Biotechnology Institute in 1999, the state and its academic and industrial leaders made the development of biotechnology, including stem cell research, within the state a priority. Delaware has no legislation in place to regulate or fund stem cell research, though the Delaware BioTechnology Institute at the University of Delaware is a statewide collaborative network to encourage research in biotechnology including stem cell research.

At present, no federal legislation in the United States is in place to regulate stem cell research (except by executive order to not allow federal funding for generation of new embryonic stem cell research and limiting research to specific embryonic stem cell lines); this leaves each state responsible for determining its own policy and funding for stem cell research.

Although passed by the Delaware Senate in March, in June 2007 the legislators in the Delaware House of Representatives defeated a bill (State Bill 5) regarding oversight and regulation of research for regenerative medicine and human cloning and establishing regulation of stem cell research on adult, embryonic, and umbilical cord blood cells. The defeat of this bill left Delaware with no laws governing stem cell research; therefore, research being done could continue.

The University of Delaware, located in Newark, was founded in 1743. The university offers a variety of academic programs in science and medicine, as well as other academic majors. One of the research groups in the chemical engineering department is focused on stem cell differentiation and understanding the cellular processes of regulation. Current research includes cancer biology and genetically linked illness. In cancer, biology researchers are studying embryonic development and cancer tumor growth processes in both mouse and human models; the role of bone matrix in the progression of cancer following metastasis from primary sites, with the possibility of molecular drug development for prevention or control of metastasis; the study of cell adhesion molecule role in metastasis; finding fast-growing versus slow-growing cell types for drug development for cancer inhibition; tissue engineering with polymeric and organic-inorganic hybrid materials; and synthesis of model peptides for the activation of pharmaceuticals at the target organ.

The university also participates in research with industry partners through the Delaware Biotechnology Institute to work on gene editing and repair that may lead to a cure for a number of devastating hereditary diseases.

There is also clinical collaboration with Christiana Care Health Services, through a National Institutes of Health National Center for Research Resources IDeA Network of Biomedical Research Excellence grant to Delaware. The core of the program is focused on innovative research in bio-medical imaging and in infrastructure to support expanded cancer research in Delaware. The network brings together state, academic, and industrial stakeholders to perform research and improve educational opportunities as a means of enhancing the biotechnology industry and promote jobs within the state.

The Delaware Biotechnology Institute was established at the University of Delaware in 1999 as a center of excellence in biotechnology and life sciences. The institute was created through funding from the state of Delaware, the National Institutes of Health, the National Science Foundation, and other government and private sources. The institutes research facility occupies land adjacent to the Delaware Technology Park, with laboratory space dedicated to plants, animals, human health, biomaterials, and bioinformatics, as well as office space and instrumentation. Though the institute is an academic division of the University of Delaware, it brings together professionals from other institutions statewide, including Delaware State University, Delaware Technical and Community College, Wesley College, Christiana Care Health System, Helen F. Graham Cancer Center, Alfred I. DuPont Hospital for Children, and Nemours Bio-medical Research for collaboration.

The institute brings together all the academic disciplines for the development of new technology. The field of biomaterials is an emerging technology area creating clinical therapies, medications, and bioelectronic devices through the networking of scientists in physical sciences and those in materials science and engineering. The institutes current research includes biosurface modifications to promote or prevent protein absorption, rapid separation and sensing of proteins, and cell and tissue engineering. An example of the type of integrated research occurring is the creation of nanofibers by controlling polymer shaping by the universitys department of Materials Science and Engineering and then the biology departments investigation of cell response, growth, and proliferation within the polymers.

The Delaware Technology Park, located in Newark, Delaware, is built on 40 acres adjacent to the University of Delaware and is dedicated to the creation of jobs and the growth of biotechnology and other high-tech industries in an environment with proximity (within 35 miles) to 30 educational institutions, as well as providing networking opportunities with other businesses in the park.

Read this article:
Delaware (Stem Cell) - what-when-how