Tri-Institutional Stem Cell Initiative
Along with Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center and Weill Cornell Medical College, Rockefeller participates in the Tri-Institutional Stem Cell Initiative. In 2005, a $50 million gift from The Starr Foundation launched this effort to develop new resources and expertise in stem cell research and to expand collaborative studies in stem cell biology. The initiative supports ongoing studies while spurring new investigations into the molecular processes that are responsible for human cellular diversity, and it seeks to accelerate the development of cell-based therapies for a wide range of conditions. As part of this effort, the Tri-Institutional Starr Stem Cell Scholars Fellowship program was announced in 2008 to provide funds for the support of postdoctoral fellows working in stem cell biology. Rockefeller awarded four fellowships in 2008. The university also operates the Stem Cell Derivation Core, funded by the Tri-Institutional Stem Cell Initiative, to derive human embryonic stem cell lines to serve the needs of Tri-Institutional investigators.
