UC Davis stem cell researchers Kyriacos Athanasiou and W. Douglas Boyd were awarded grants last week totaling $6.6. million from the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine.
Athanasiou, a professor of orthopaedic surgery and chairman of biomedical engineering, is investigating the use of skin-derived stem cells to heal cartilage injuries and debilitating conditions of the knee such as osteoarthritis, according to a news release.
Boyd, a professor of surgery, plans to further refine a technique for treating cardiovascular injuries suffered during a heart attack by using stem cells and a tissue-like scaffold to repair cardiac damage.
UCD has received 30 grants worth about $72 million since the state began funding for stem cell research in 2005.