SUBJECT:

Use of Federally Funded Equipment for Stem Cell Research

Since August, 2001, federal regulations have allowed the use of federal funds for research using human embryonic stem cell (hESC) lines only if the hESC line being used meets certain criteria. The list of approved lines all meeting these criteria is found at http://stemcells.nih.gov/research/registry/. Research using hESC lines not on this list is ineligible for federal funding. In addition, equipment that was purchased in whole or in part using federal funding is not allowed to be used for research using non-registry hESC lines, unless specific steps have been taken to release federal interest in the equipment item.

In order to assist UCSD researchers in complying with these regulations as they relate to the use of equipment, the offices of Equipment Management and Financial Analysis have taken or will take the following steps:

1. A physical inventory was recently undertaken to verify the location of federally funded equipment. All federally funded equipment that was located was tagged/marked using a red, 1-inch circular sticker.

2. For federally funded equipment that was not identified and tagged during the physical inventory, the property administrator having custody of the equipment will be notified and provided with red stickers and instructions for tagging this equipment.

3. For newly acquired equipment purchased using federal funds, the property locator report which provides the UCID tag will now also include a red sticker with placement instructions.

4. Equipment Management will maintain a database listing all federally purchased equipment. We will update the database where documentation exists showing the federal government has released ownership of the equipment. This released equipment will then be available for unrestricted hESC research. The property administrators for this available equipment will be notified and instructed to remove the red sticker. We expect this database to be available online at a future date. Until then, Equipment Management can provide the status of any equipment in question.

The red stickers are intended to be used as an initial indicator that the equipment is unavailable for non-registry hESC research. Regardless of whether the equipment item is tagged with a red sticker or not, federally funded equipment cannot be used for non-registry hESC lines. Please call Equipment Management if you are unsure about the status of any equipment being considered for use in non-registry hESC lines.

Please contact the campus Equipment Manager, Steve Ste. Marie (sstemarie@ucsd.edu or (858) 534-4638) if you have any questions or comments concerning these steps.

Comprehensive information on research using human embryonic stem cells at UCSD is available at http://research.ucsd.edu/ESCRO.

Bill McCarroll Director General Accounting/ Equipment Management