Oklahoma stem cell research gets $5.5M

The Tobacco Settlement Endowment Trust board voted Monday to contribute $5.5 million to adult stem cell research.

The board committed $500,000 for a yearlong planning phase to decide how the money should be distributed, followed by $1 million in grants each year for five years.

The action was taken after presentations on adult stem cell research under way in Oklahoma.

Adult stem cells could someday be used as "regenerative medicine” to treat or cure many ailments such as cancer, cardiovascular disease and diabetes, said Dr. Stephen Prescott, president of the Oklahoma Medical Research Foundation.

He said Oklahoma Medical Research Foundation scientists are working to "back up” progression of adult cells so they return to a state where they can be reprogrammed for specific uses. Patients could be treated with their own cells to avoid rejection.

The adult cells are not taken from embryos.

"This new funding initiative will accelerate this research while speeding the delivery of new treatments to Oklahomans suffering from life-threatening diseases,” Prescott said.

Adult stem cells multiply by division to replenish dying cells and regenerate damaged tissues, and could one day be used to regenerate organs from a few cells, researchers say.

Some stem cells are involved in the spread of cancer, and scientists are looking at ways to destroy them to stop tumor formation, said Dr. Courtney Houchen, a University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center researcher.

"It’s an emerging opportunity in Oklahoma,” said Casey Killblane, chairman of the board.