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The Institute for Cell Engineering (ICE)
Advisory Committee continues to meet monthly. The advisory group
is helping to determine the general direction of ICE, selecting
the programs that we will develop in ICE, and interviewing and
approving each faculty recruit for ICE. In the future, we plan
to add a few highly respected figures from outside of Hopkins
to the Advisory Committee. The ICE Operating Committee, comprised
of the Section Directors named below, also meets regularly and
participates in Advisory Committee meetings.
ICE is developing three Programs:
1) The Core ICE Program (CIP)
is consisted of Sections that will be housed in ICE space and
allocated ICE resources. The CIP consists of basic research in
the areas of stem cell biology (Section Director John D. Gearhart),
immunobiology (Section Director Stephen V. Desiderio), and cell
fate determination (Section Director Ted M. Dawson).
Each of the three sections has been allocated
space within ICE in the new Broadway Research Building as well
as an operating budget that allows each Section Director to begin
recruiting faculty. The recruitment process starts with a proposal
for the recruitment of specific talent. The candidates will be
appointed to a specific Department within the JHUSOM, as the Department
Chair must approve the appointment of new faculty. ICE Advisory
Committee Members will actively participate in the recruitment
process through interviewing faculty candidates.
2) The Affiliated
ICE Program (AIP) will consist of Sections that will
be housed in non-ICE (departmental) space and allocated ICE resources.
The AIP focuses on stem cell research for therapeutic purposes.
Affiliated Program Sections do not use ICE space but can apply
for ICE funding. Ideally, a department or several departments
would allocate 5,000 to 10,000 sq ft of departmental space for
a specific ICE Affiliated Program Section. The Advisory Committee
and the Operating Committee will review and approve the proposals
for ICE funding. An ideal Section would focus on a specific application
area with clear plans for interacting with the Core Program Sections
and the use of ICE Core Facilities.
3) The ICE Molecular
and Cellular Engineering Pilot Program (MCEP) will
engage the entire Johns Hopkins research community through limited
funding that should stimulate creative approaches to the understanding
and application of stem cells. See the "Funding Opportunities"
section of this newsletter for details. These pilot awards will
provide $75,000-$150,000 of funding support to any Hopkins faculty
member for projects pertaining to stem cell biology and engineering.
ICE Symposium - October 28 and
29, 2002
The first ICE Symposium will be held in Turner Auditorium on October
28 and 29th, 2002. This two-day event will bring the best and
brightest experts in stem cell research to the campus for a series
of panel discussions. Current plans are for the Symposium to have
five sessions, with a panel of speakers at each session. Sessions
will cover the three current core areas of ICE, immunobiology,
stem cell, and neural regeneration. There will also be a session
on genetics chaired by Dr. Aravinda Chakravarti from the Institute
for Genetic Medicine, and a session on ethics chaired by Dr. Ruth
Faden, Executive Director of the Bioethics Institute. Drs. James
A. Thomson and John D. Gearhart will give the keynote addresses.
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