Governor Jon S. Corzine

GOVERNOR CORZINE SIGNS LEGISLATION AUTHORIZING
$270 MILLION INVESTMENT IN STEM CELL RESEARCH CENTERS

TRENTON

– Governor Jon S. Corzine today signed legislation that would provide $270 million in funding to build stem cell research centers and facilities for cancer and biomedical research in New Jersey
“Stem cell research has the potential to save and extend lives and lead us to cures that have previously been beyond our grasp,� said Governor Corzine. “This investment will position New Jersey as a world leader in cutting edge research and yield results that could touch lives around the globe.�

The legislation authorizes:
• $150 million to build the Stem Cell Institute in New Brunswick;
• $50 million to build stem cell research facilities at the New Jersey Institute of Technology in Newark;
• $50 million to a biomedical research center in Camden, which will be operated by a consortium of Rutgers, the Coriell Institute for Medical Research, the Robert Wood Johnson Medical School at Camden, and the Cancer Institute of New Jersey, South Jersey;
• $10 million to the Garden State Cancer Center, a cancer research center in Belleville; and,
• $10 million for the Eli Katz Umbilical Cord Blood Program, in Allendale, for cord blood collection in support of stem cell research.

“Today our efforts have the potential to impact people the world over, in ways we can’t yet imagine,� said Senate President Richard J. Codey, a sponsor of the legislation. “The true scope of this initiative may not be felt for a decade or even longer - when people around the world live vastly improved lives because of the work that will be done right here in New Jersey. For over a century, this has been our legacy as a state and today we are preserving it.�

“We are creating a statewide laboratory of interconnected research and collection centers that will help attract the best minds currently engaged in the field of stem cell research,� said Assemblyman Neil M. Cohen (D-Union), a sponsor. “The work performed in New Jersey’s stem cell research centers will soon stand as a shining beacon leading other researchers forward and giving hope to millions afflicted with incurable and untreatable injuries and diseases.�

The construction will be financed by bonds issued by the New Jersey Economic Development Authority.

Other sponsors of the bill (A-2828/S-1471) were Neil Cohen, John McKeon, Albio Sires and Joan Quigley in the Assembly, and Barbara Buono in the Senate.

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