Coming on the heels of similar projects at UCLA, UC San Francisco and UC San Diego, the USC Keck School of Medicine will use a $25 million donation by local philanthropists Edythe and Eli Broad to build the Broad Institute for Integrative Biology and Stem Cell Research. The 215,000-square-foot facility, which has a construction starting date set for this fall, will be the largest stem cell research institute in the state.
After California voters in late 2004 approved Proposition 71 - a sweeping $3 billion stem cell research initiative - the fledgling science has grown steadily, but not without a few bumps in the road.
Bolstered by increased funding and popular approval, the research has nonetheless been mired in lawsuits from critics who have questioned the constitutionality of the measure. Opening statements in those lawsuits are scheduled to begin today.
Advocates of stem cell research...