Professor Levon secures grant from New York State for stem cell research

Kalle Levon, Professor of Chemical and Biological Science

Professor Kalle Levon of Poly’s Chemical and Biological Sciences Department has secured a $100,000 one-year development grant from New York State for stem cell research.

The grant is part of the first round of funding for New York State's $600 million 11-year stem cell research program first announced in April 2007.

Twenty-five institutions received first-round grants which total $14.5 million and aim to quickly boost New York's biomedical research capability.

Stem cell research offers new hope to people who suffer from debilitating and life threatening diseases and ailments such as Alzheimer's, Parkinson's and cancer.

Levon heads up Poly’s stem cell program which focuses on the impact of electrostatic forces on stem cells. The New York State grant will go towards training and equipment related to that training.

As his program moves forward with help from this important funding, Levon hopes to involve additional Poly faculty. He will continue to work closely with graduate student Andrea Tuckett who has been a key part of the program. He will also continue to collaborate with Memorial Sloan Kettering Center and Stony Brook University.