Oakland U, Beaumont Hospitals form stem cell research partnership

Stem cell research is grabbing headlines in local universities outside of Michigan's Big Three - the University of Michigan, Michigan State, and Wayne State. Oakland University is now in that mix after announcing a new partnership with Beaumont Hospitals.

The new partnership will capitalize on the stem cell research efforts of both institutions through the new Oakland University William Beaumont Institute for Stem Cell and Regenerative Medicine. The new facility will both help train future medical professionals and researchers in stem cell science and create new innovations in this sector of medical research.

"If everything goes as planned, we expect it to expand significantly and make some big contributions," says Virender Moudgil, senior vice president and provost at Oakland University. He adds that Oakland University "may not have the volume (of research) of the other local research universities but it has the quality to match."

Organizers behind the new research center expect it to become a self-supporting unit within three years. By then most of its funding should come from state, federal, and philanthropic sources. Oakland University currently has 10 faculty members working as investigators of stem cell research, with anywhere from 2-10 researchers working under each one.

Source: Virnder Moudgil, senior vice president and provost at Oakland University
Writer: Jon Zemke

Read more about Metro Detroit's growing entrepreneurial ecosystem at SEMichiganStartup.com.