San Francisco, California - California’s state stem cell agency, the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine (CIRM), and the Medical University of Warsaw (MUW), a Polish state institution, announced today an international collaboration on stem cell research.

The agreement was signed today at an event attended by Katarzyna Kacperczyk, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Poland and prof. Krzysztof Kurzydlowski, Director of the National Center for Research and Development along with other dignitaries from Poland and the leadership of CIRM at the agency’s headquarters.

CIRM and MUW are laying the foundation for potential joint Polish-Californian research initiatives to advance stem cell therapies through collaborations among innovators in the field. The agreement will make it easier for researchers in California and Poland to obtain joint funding and to exchange know-how in the area of regenerative medicine.

“Poland has a robust stem cell research community, which should create synergies with researchers in California and help us further leverage California’s investment in the field for the good of patients everywhere,” said Jonathan Thomas, chair of CIRM’s governing Board.

“We are committed to supporting Polish researchers to work with California scientists and businesses to further boost Poland’s profile as an innovative and accelerating center for scientific research,” said Piotr Moncarz, consulting professor at Stanford University, co-founder and chairman of US-Polish Trade Council, the organization which presented the idea of this Agreement to the Leadership of CIRM and to the Rector of WMU, prof. Marek Krawczyk, M.D.

About CIRM: CIRM was established in November 2004 with the passage of Proposition 71, the California Stem Cell Research and Cures Act. The statewide ballot measure, which provided $3 billion in funding for stem cell research at California universities and research institutions, was overwhelmingly approved by voters, and called for the establishment of an entity to make grants and provide loans for stem cell research, research facilities, and other vital research opportunities. A list of grants and loans awarded to date may be seen here: http://www.cirm.ca.gov/for-researchers/researchfunding.

About WMU: The Medical University of Warsaw is one of the oldest medical schools in Poland. For over 200 years it has provided education and training in medicine and pharmacy at undergraduate and postgraduate levels. The university's programs meet the highest international standards of university-level education and are based on the principles of good clinical and pharmaceutical practice.

The project „Centre for Preclinical Research and Technology (CePT)” is a part of MUW and is the biggest biomedical and biotechnological undertaking in Central and Eastern Europe. The aim of this project is to create a dynamic scientific center in Warsaw conducting research on the most common civilizational diseases. An important focus of CePT is stem cell research and regenerative medicine.