NEW YORK (May 18, 2005) -- Three New York City biomedical research institutions -- The Rockefeller University, Weill Medical College of Cornell University, and Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center (MSKCC) -- will receive $50 million over three years from The Starr Foundation to develop new resources and expertise in stem cell research. The new Tri-Institutional Stem Cell Initiative builds on the already existing strong research ties among the three organizations as well as on the scientific strengths each organization currently brings to stem cell-related research. Of the total gift, $10 million already has been awarded.

The gift will enable the three institutions to retain and attract outstanding scientists; train future leaders in stem cell research; and develop shared facilities necessary to derive new stem cell lines and to expand and maintain existing cell lines for use by scientists. Emphasis will be placed on collaborative studies bringing stem cell researchers together with colleagues from other fields including neuroscience, cell cycle research, toxicology, chemistry, and physics.

The Starr Foundation, based in New York City, has long supported medical research, healthcare, and educational programs in New York City, as well as cultural endeavors such as museums and public policy projects relating to international relations. With this gift to establish the Tri-Institutional Stem Cell Initiative, The Starr Foundation, in its 50th anniversary year, reached the $1 billion mark in grants to New York City-based organizations.

"Over the years, a significant percentage of our grants has gone to the City's finest research institutions because we want to ensure that New York City remains one of the greatest centers of medical and scientific research in the world," said Maurice Greenberg, Chairman of the Board of The Starr Foundation. "Now these three pioneering institutions -- a world class medical school, a leading biomedical research institution, and a premier cancer research center -- can join together and break new ground at this exciting scientific frontier."

"We envision a thriving community of scientists on these three contiguous campuses creating a major hub of stem cell research in the country," said Mr. Greenberg, who is also Chairman Emeritus of New York-Presbyterian Hospital and Overseer of Weill Cornell Medical College, and a Trustee Emeritus at The Rockefeller University. "It is particularly exciting when three of the City's premier institutions collaborate on research of this importance," he added.

The Tri-Institutional Stem Cell Initiative will seek to decipher the molecular codes ultimately responsible for human cellular diversity and eventually use this understanding to design cell-based therapies. By including human embryonic stem cells (both those registered by the federal government and those that are not) along with adult stem cells and stem cells from cancers and experimental animals, the Initiative will help ensure that scientists have access to the most appropriate, robust cell line for any particular study. This broad approach will make it possible for researchers to explore the biological significance of stem cells and to compare the relative merits of all types of cell lines in terms of their function and therapeutic potential.

While the study of many types of stem cells is still in its infancy, greater understanding of their capacity and of how to direct their activity allows scientists considerable potential to develop new regenerative treatments that would deploy the body's own ability for growth and repair against a range of conditions such as Parkinson's disease, diabetes, spinal cord injury, stroke, burns, heart disease, cancer, and arthritis.

"Bringing together the complementary strengths of our three institutions will ensure that we continue to pursue the highest quality research and use the knowledge we gain for the betterment of human health," said Antonio M. Gotto, Jr., Stephen and Suzanne Weiss Dean of Weill Cornell Medical College and Provost for Medical Affairs of Cornell University. "One of Weill Cornell's most distinctive resources is our in vitro fertilization laboratory," said Dr. Gotto, "and now, with this farsighted gift, we will be able to develop and maintain stem cells for research and ultimately for translation into clinical medicine."

"This generous financial commitment from The Starr Foundation will allow our three institutions to move ahead decisively and together on many important fronts in stem cell research, fields of study that hold great promise for understanding normal human development and for providing insights into treatment of an array of diseases, including cancer," said Harold Varmus, President of MSKCC. "Given the novel and evolving nature of some types of stem cell research, the governance of the Tri-Institutional Stem Cell Initiative will include the establishment of an oversight board, as recently recommended by the National Academy of Sciences with regard to research involving human embryonic stem cells," said Varmus.

"The Starr Foundation gift will help us to gain a better understanding of the basic biology of stem cells and mechanisms of disease, crucial steps that must be taken before these cells can be developed into human therapies, " said Paul Nurse, President of The Rockefeller University. "The new initiative will greatly enhance Rockefeller's ongoing collaborative work with MSKCC and Weill Cornell researchers to pursue these objectives," he said.

The newly funded Tri-Institutional Stem Cell Initiative will focus initially on the following areas:

Basic and Clinical Stem Cell Research Projects -- Emphasis will be on studies that bring stem cell researchers together with colleagues from other fields, including toxicology, neuroscience, cell cycle research, chemistry, and physics, at any of the three institutions. The Tri-Institutional Stem Cell Initiative will also provide a crucial source of private support for research that cannot now be funded through government sources, as well as augment grants for stem cell research from the National Institutes of Health and other government agencies. Innovative Collaboration in Stem Cell Biology -- In order to build a broad, fully integrated community of stem cell researchers from all three institutions, funds will be earmarked to support collaborative efforts. This funding will promote joint ventures among researchers and the regular exchange of ideas. Graduate and Postdoctoral Training -- The Tri-Institutional Stem Cell Initiative will provide fellowship support to outstanding postdoctoral candidates pursuing advanced research related to adult or embryonic stem cells in any of the laboratories of the three institutions and to PhD and Tri-Institutional MD-PhD students engaged in relevant studies. Shared Stem Cell Facilities -- These will include laboratories to be utilized by scientists from all three institutions, with activities ranging from the derivation of new stem cell lines to microarray analysis and bioimaging.

The Starr Foundation was established in 1955 by Cornelius Vander Starr, the founder of the American International family of insurance and financial services companies, now known as American International Group, Inc. (AIG). It makes grants in a number of areas, including education, medicine and healthcare, public policy, human needs, culture, and the environment. Maurice R. Greenberg has served as Chairman of the Starr Foundation since 1981.

Stem Cell Research at Weill Medical College of Cornell University, The Rockefeller University, and Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center

In 2004, Weill Medical College of Cornell University launched a new stem cell center, the Ansary Center for Stem Cell Therapeutics, to focus on finding ways to boost the growth of adult stem cells for therapeutic purposes. Among Weill CornellÕs pioneering contributions to stem cell biology are the discovery of vascular stem cells in the adult bone marrow that can contribute to wound healing and blood vessel growth in tumors, and the discovery of a specific type of fetal stem cell that can co-differentiate simultaneously into both muscle and blood vessel cells. One of Weill Cornell's most distinctive resources is its in vitro fertilization (IVF) laboratory, which features state-of-the-art reproductive biology focused on the basic science and clinical aspects of human embryonic stem cells. Blastocysts formed in the course of infertility treatment are an indispensable resource for establishing stable stem cell lines, and Weill Cornell plans to launch a facility to develop and maintain the appropriate embryonic stem cells for research. Weill CornellÕs Belfer Gene Therapy Core Facility and its soon-to-be-opened Gene Therapy Clinical Trials Unit will be vital assets in the translation of basic stem cell biology into clinical medicine.

The Rockefeller University is widely recognized as a center of innovation in basic research to improve the scientific understanding of the biology of stem cells. Rockefeller scientists provided the first description of--"stemness" in humans, the complete genetic overview that documents the ability of embryonic stem cells to self-renew and generate all cell types of the body; isolated stem cells from the skin of a mouse, and showed, for the first time, that an individual stem cell can renew itself in the laboratory and then be used in grafts to produce skin, hair and oil glands; and initiated experiments aimed at increasing the numbers and/or potency of insulin-producing cells that arise from laboratory cultures of mouse embryonic stem cells. Six of the university's 75 laboratories now conduct basic research with embryonic, neuronal and skin stem cells derived from laboratory mice, laboratory cultures of human adult skin stem cells, and human embryonic stem cells. Human embryonic stem cell research at Rockefeller uses cell lines from the National Institutes of Health registry, as well as non-registry cell lines. With support from the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation International, Rockefeller University scientists are creating new human embryonic stem cell lines that will be accessible to other researchers. In 2004, a generous endowment grant from New York City philanthropist Harriet Heilbrunn enabled Rockefeller University to establish the Robert and Harriet Heilbrunn Center for Stem Cell Research. Stem cell investigations at Rockefeller are also supported by gifts from Trustees, Rockefeller University Council members, and other donors to the UniversityÕs volunteer-initiated Stem Cell Research Fund.

Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center (MSKCC) is a pioneer in the research and use of hematopoietic stem cells to treat blood-related disorders, such as leukemia, lymphoma, and multiple myeloma -- an area that provides the only current example of stem cell therapy in routine practice. MSKCC investigators were the first to propose umbilical cord blood as a source of stem cells suitable for transplanting, and the first to identify human mesenchymal stem cells in bone marrow. Highly promising work today includes studies aimed at identifying and characterizing cancer stem cells in multiple forms of disease. Other research is currently underway to delineate how neural and embryonic stem cells develop into specialized neurons of the brain and nervous system. MSKCC investigators are engaged in studies ranging from the use of embryonic stem cells to repair damage caused by radiation treatment for brain tumors to the development of cell-based therapeutic strategies targeting ParkinsonÕs disease. Within one laboratory at MSKCC, researchers have assembled, with private support, one of the largest existing collections of human embryonic stem cell lines, including those registered by the federal government and others that are not.

In addition to the individual projects now underway at each institution, several laboratories from across the three campuses are engaged in a wide scope of productive research collaborations. This approach continues to generate fresh insights into stem cells and their functions.

Other Support from The Starr Foundation for the--Three--Institutions:

The Greenberg Family and The Starr Foundation have supported the missions of Weill Medical College of Cornell University and New York-Presbyterian Hospital/Weill Cornell Medical Center for more than 25 years. In 1997, the Hospital opened the Maurice R. and Corinne P. Greenberg Pavilion, a 776-bed inpatient facility, named in recognition of the Greenbergs' longstanding leadership as well as their support of the construction of the building. Other notable gifts include a generous contribution to the Medical CollegeÕs capital campaign that is earmarked for Weill CornellÕs new ambulatory care and medical education building on York Avenue. Additionally, the Greenbergs and The Starr Foundation have made significant contributions to the Medical College and Hospital for its Division of Cardiology; Genetic Medicine Program; neurological surgery programs; molecular neuropharmacology laboratory; C.V. Starr Biomedical Information Center; C.V. Starr Pavilion, an outpatient facility; Division of Geriatrics; endowed student scholarship; and for a joint program with The Rockefeller University to study hepatitis C, among other programs. Since 1992, the Greenberg Family and The Starr Foundation have provided generous support for basic and clinical research programs at The Rockefeller University. This support includes grants creating and sustaining the Starr Center for Human Genetics; major funding for The Rockefeller University Hospital; and grants to establish and support the Maurice R. and Corinne P. Greenberg Center for the Study of Hepatitis C, a collaborative research and clinical effort of Rockefeller, Weill Cornell, and New York-Presbyterian Hospital, co-directed by Greenberg Professor Charles Rice. Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center received a gift from The Starr Foundation in 2004 for the construction of 21 new surgical suites, which are scheduled to open in Memorial Hospital on York Avenue later this year.

Tri-Institutional Collaboration:

The three institutions involved in the new Tri-Institutional Stem Cell Initiative have undertaken previous successful collaborations. In 1991, for example, they created a tri-institutional MD-PhD program, funded through the National Institutes of Health, which is one of the most highly rated training programs of its kind in the country. In 2000, The Rockefeller University, Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, and Cornell University and its Weill Medical College developed, with a $160 million investment, a collaborative, interdisciplinary program in basic biological research, which includes joint faculty appointments and shared graduate programs in chemical biology as well as in computational biology and medicine.