Appointment
Berk Named to New Stem Cell Board
APPOINTMENT: State Senator Malcolm Smith (left)
Center CEO Bradford Berk as a member of New York’s new Empire
State Stem Cell Board.
Medical Center CEO Bradford Berk ’81M (MD/PhD)
will be a key player in helping decide how New York distributes
about $600 million in stem cell research funding.
Berk, who is also senior vice president for health
sciences, was named this summer to serve on the Empire State Stem
Cell Board, one of two panels created by state lawmakers to oversee
the establishment of the new Empire State Stem Cell Trust Fund.
Created earlier this year as a provision in New
York’s state budget, the fund establishes an 11-year, $600
million research program to support stem cell research. The
initiative will be funded in part by a pool of money created when
health insurance companies convert to for-profit status.
The legislation creates two panels to oversee the new
law: One is for developing the funding and evaluation criteria for
research grants and establishing standards of medical and
scientific oversight; the other will focus on developing ethical
guidelines for the research.
Berk was appointed to the funding committee by Sen.
Malcolm Smith of St. Albans, the Democratic leader in the State
Senate.
“I can think of no better choice than Brad Berk
to serve on the Empire State Stem Cell Board,” says Smith.
“His long list of accomplishments and vast experience in the
area of stem cell research make him uniquely qualified to help New
York State break new ground in the treatment of disease and advance
forward in the innovation economy.”
Currently scientists are prohibited from using federal
funds for stem cell research for all but a shrinking number of cell
lines approved by the National Institutes of Health. As a result,
several states have established funds to support stem cell
research. New York’s investment is the second largest, behind
only that of California.
About 40 Medical Center scientists are involved in stem
cell research in some form or another, and their labs are funded
with more than $68 million in research grants and employ 263
people.
Many of the scientists are internationally known for
their work with stem cells in neurological disorders, cancer, and
musculoskeletal diseases. The University also is in the process of
establishing a Stem Cell Institute.
“New York is home to world-class universities,
hospitals, and biotechnology companies and is poised to become an
international leader in the field of stem cell research,”
says Berk. “I am deeply grateful for Senator Smith’s
appointment and look forward to serving on the Empire State Stem
Cell Board. I strongly believe that the resources New York State
has committed to stem cell science will reinforce our state’s
leadership in medical research and ultimately create new jobs and
companies and develop technologies that could potentially improve
the lives of millions of Americans.”
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