Wisconsin will soon house the nation’s first stem cell bank.
WiCell Research Institute, a subsidiary of the Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation, has been awarded a $16.1 million, four-year National Institutes of Health contract to establish a national stem call bank at its facilities, according to contracting officer Lynn Furtaw.
The center will acquire, store, characterize and distribute the human embryonic stem cell lines currently approved for federal funding.
Gov. Jim Doyle has scheduled a news conference on Monday to announce the Wisconsin siting of the stem cell bank.