Multi-million Dollar Gift Expands Stem Cell Research to Advance Cures for Pediatric Diseases

The Children's Hospital announced Nov. 30 the receipt of a $5 million gift from the Gates Frontiers Fund that will allow the Charles C. Gates Regenerative Medicine and Stem Cell Biology Program at the University of Colorado Denver School of Medicine to expand its research program to encompass pediatrics. The Gates family established the University of Colorado Denver program with a $6 million gift in 2006, the largest gift to-date in the School of Medicine's history.

The Children's Hospital currently uses stem cells in transplantation procedures to cure childhood cancer. According to Stephen R. Daniels, MD, PhD, pediatrician in chief and L. Joseph Butterfield Chair of Pediatrics at The Children's Hospital, and professor and chairman of the Department of Pediatrics, University of Colorado Denver School of Medicine, stem cell-based therapies may provide future treatments for diabetes, neurological diseases, cardiac problems and cystic fibrosis, among others. 

"This research holds great promise for improving our ability to treat a wide variety of childhood illnesses and congenital malformations," Dr. Daniels explained. "For this type of research to reach its full potential, we still have much to learn about the biology of stem cells and how they work to form mature cells and organs. This gift will allow us to begin to develop the kind of translational research programs that will hopefully address these most important childhood health problems."

"We are very excited about this generous gift as it will allow us to expand the research that is currently underway," said Dennis Roop, PhD, Charles C. Gates Chair in Regenerative Medicine and Stem Cell Biology, UC Denver School of Medicine. "As we continue to research and understand the mechanisms of stem cell biology, we will soon be able to harness the enormous therapeutic potential presented by being able to replace or regenerate damaged or defective cell types, tissues or organs that are involved in virtually every disease that afflicts humankind."

With the addition of pediatric stem cell research, the Charles C. Gates Regenerative Medicine and Stem Cell Biology Program now researches several target areas including neuronal diseases such as Parkinson's and Alzheimer's, heart disease, liver disease, vascular disease, juvenile diabetes, blood disease, skin disease and cancer.

To support the research, The Children's Hospital will recruit a physician-scientist who will hold a new endowed chair, the Diane G. Wallach Chair in Pediatric Stem Cell Biology.  The chairholder will partner with Dr. Roop.

Among The Children's largest benefactors, the Gates family previously made a $10.5-million gift to The Imagine the Miracles Campaign for The Children's Hospital in memory of June Swaner Gates. Her late husband, Charles C. Gates, served as honorary chair of Imagine the Miracles until his death in 2005. Diane Gates Wallach chaired the Hospital's Board of Directors from 2000-2002 when the decision to move to the new campus was made. Wallach and her brother, John Gates of Aspen, Co., are directors of the Gates Frontiers Fund.

Read more about the gift at DenverPost.com and RockyMountainNews.com