The World Stem Cell Summit is taking place on Monday and Tuesday, September 22 and 23, in Madison. It’s an event that’s really set up for those in the stem cell industry, doing research or working with a company that’s commercializing technology. However, they are making a strong effort to engage the public, and are hosting a “Lab on the Lake” free public event, which Wisconsin Stem Cell Now is proud to be a supporting organization for. Lab on the Lake is being held at the Pyle Center on Langdon Street, you can see more information here, and as far as we can tell, all are welcome!

The University of Wisconsin-Madison received federal grants from the National Institutes of Health and the National Institute of General Medical science for research on embryonic and adult stem cells.  The $8.9 million dollar grant will fund three projects lead by John Coon, Igor Slukvin, Junying Yu, and stem-cell pioneer James Thompson.  UW is especially lucky to get this grant as the federal government has been very stingy with the allocation of dollars for embryonic stem cell research.  Wisconsin’s position as a stem-cell leader will be further cemented by this grant, but we can’t rely on federal funding, the state has to play its role too.