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Black Tie International:
Li Ka Shing Foundation
Makes $1.5 Million
to Boost Yale Stem Cell Research
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Haifan Lin |
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Li Ka Shing Foundation
makes $1.5 million donation
to boost Yale stem cell research
New
Haven, Conn.--The
Li Ka Shing Foundation (LKSF), a Hong Kong-based
philanthropy devoted to advancing education and healthcare,
has awarded $1.5 million to Yale University to expand two
research core facilities, the human embryonic stem cell core
and the genomics core, of the Yale Stem Cell Center (YSCC).
The funding provides the Center’s scientists with new
capacity and resources for advancing research on stem cell
biology at Yale. Stem cell research has the potential to
reveal the most fundamental mechanisms underlying cell
differentiation, the influence of genetic/non genetic
factors, organ development, and ultimately how systems
critical to the body’s function perform. This research can
transform medical treatment of numerous serious illnesses
and allow the repair or replacement of tissues and organs
damaged by trauma or disease.
“We are
grateful for the Li Ka Shing Foundation’s generosity, which
benefits today’s medical research in order to develop
tomorrow’s cures,” said Yale University President Richard
Levin. “This significant donation will allow the Yale Stem
Cell Center to continue to make available to its members the
most current technologies used in stem cell research.”
The YSCC, located at Yale School of Medicine (YSM), is
directed by Haifan Lin, a world-renowned stem cell
researcher whose “lead-by-science” approach stresses the
importance of understanding stem cells’ basic biology before
adapting stem cell technology to treat individual diseases.
“We have all been great admirers of the work of Yale for 100
years in China,” said LKSF Director Solina Chau in a recent
phone interview following her 2010 visit to Yale. “The team
at Yale seems to be very open, and wants to support and
leverage each other’s work to accelerate science. At the
Stem Cell Center, I felt that Haifan has developed a unique
sense of community and bonding between the different teams.”
YSCC
research is helping to explain stem cells’ unique ability to
form self-renewing populations that can differentiate into
the myriad cell types that make up the body’s organs, a
property that may be harnessed in novel treatments for
cancer, type 1 diabetes, heart disease, neurodegenerative
diseases such as Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s disease, and
brain and spinal cord injuries. Yale scientists are now also
producing and using human stem cell-like lines, called iPS
cells, which are available from easily accessible adult
cells, such as skin cells, sidestepping the need for
embryonic cells and ensuring a genetic match with patients.
The Li Ka Shing Foundation supports this new effort.
“We are
grateful to the Li Ka Shing Foundation for its support and
its vision towards stem cell research. We are especially
excited that this support will allow us to establish the new
iPS cell lines using technology that does not require the
use of human embryonic cells,” said Lin, Professor of Cell
Biology and Genetics at YSM. “In addition, this donation
will increase our genomics core’s capacity by upgrading our
DNA sequencing software and expanding computing power at the
Center.”
About the
Li Ka Shing Foundation
The LKSF
was established in 1980 by Mr. Li Ka-shing, Chairman of the
Cheung Kong Group, a global concern based in Hong Kong with
a combined market capitalization of more than US$115
billion. Mr. Li has pledged one-third of his assets to the
Foundation, which he refers to as his “third son.” To date,
LKSF has made charitable donations of more than HK$12.5
billion (US$1.6 billion).
LKSF
supports projects that propel social progress and create a
cycle of charity in the world through expanding access to
quality education and healthcare, encouraging cultural
diversity and exploration, and stimulating community
involvement and sustainable development.
About
the Yale Stem Cell Center
Established in 2006 with initial funding from Yale
University and the State of Connecticut, the YSCC is a
scientific hub for stem cell researchers across the Yale
campus. With core facilities available to scientists of both
Yale School of Medicine and Yale’s Faculty of Arts and
Sciences, the Center’s mission is to advance the
understanding of stem cell biology and to harness its
potential to improve human health.
In addition to housing core research facilities, the Center
promotes intellectual exchange and interdisciplinary
scientific collaborations among its more than sixty members.
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