"The donation for this new building is intended to help accelerate the whole research program," said Ray Dolby. "At the same time, I also think it is useful to name the endeavor in a way that might make its purpose as clear as possible."

"The Dolbys have made an extremely generous gift," said UCSF Chancellor J. Michael Bishop. "Their donation lays the foundation for a building that is intended to maximize the potential of scientists to develop cell-based therapies for presently incurable diseases."

David A. Kessler, MD, Dean of the UCSF School of Medicine and Vice Chancellor for Medical Affairs, said, "This gift will help enable UCSF and its scientists to make discoveries that could ultimately lead to treatments for traumatic and degenerative disorders and provide important insights into a wide range of diseases and conditions."

The donation is the Dolbys' second major gift to stem cell research. In June 2005, they donated $5 million to the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine (CIRM), which supported the Institute in establishing the infrastructure necessary for administering the $3 billion in general obligation bonds for stem cell research authorized by voters with the passage of Proposition 71 in November 2004. Litigation challenging the constitutionality of the measure has delayed sale of the bonds, and thus tied up funding for infrastructure. A California state court on April 21 upheld the constitutionality of Proposition 71, but the appeals process is expected to continue until next spring.

Dolby said he thinks the new name for the UCSF program, Institute for Regeneration Medicine, will help people grasp the significance of t
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Contact: Jennifer O'Brien
jobrien@pubaff.ucsf.edu
415-476-2557
University of California - San Francisco
10-May-2006