About Us
The extraordinary promise of regenerative medicine research
Stroke, heart disease, Parkinson’s, and Alzheimer’s affect millions of lives, yet no cures currently exist for these devastating conditions. The Regenerative Bioscience Center (RBC) unites researchers and resources across multiple disciplines to accelerate the development of innovative treatments. With its powerful potential to restore function and heal damaged tissues, regenerative medicine is revolutionizing the future of healthcare.
“The RBC provides a base where it brings together devoted researchers and holds the infrastructure necessary to support and energize these collaborations,” says Steven Stice, RBC Director. “There’s nothing that excites me more than the promise and hope of stem cell therapy.”
Many members of the Center have received research grants from public, government, and private sources. Public supporters include the National Institutes of Health and the American Heart Association. Government agencies such as the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Department of Defense (DOD) have also provided funding. A key private supporter, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, contributed $1.5 million to develop disease-resistant chickens, helping improve living standards for families in developing countries.
The RBC fosters cross-disciplinary and multi-institutional research through the Georgia Research Alliance, collaborating with Georgia Tech, Georgia State, the Medical College of Georgia, and Emory University. By expanding knowledge, facilities, and technology resources, the center strengthens its ability to secure external funding.
In addition to research, the RBC offers educational opportunities for national and international researchers, as well as graduate and undergraduate students through faculty-led courses. It also runs a Young Scholar program for high school students interested in biomedical science careers.
“As a group, we inspire each other—researchers, students, and external collaborators—through a shared vision of how regenerative bioscience, including repair, discovery, and safety, will enhance quality of life for people of all ages,” says Stice.
Learn more about the incredible work that the RBC is doing here.
Listen, learn and watch the new RBC video
RBC Leadership
Experts in regenerative medicine and stem cell therapies
-
John Peroni
Professor of Large Animal Surgery
Co-Founder -
Steven Stice
Professor, GRA Eminent Scholar, NAI Fellow, Regent’s Entrepreneur, AIMBE Fellow
Director and Co-Founder of the RBC -
Franklin West
Professor
Co-Founder
A remarkable record of achievement
2004: Creation of the Regenerative Bioscience Center
- Stice and a handful of faculty at the University of Georgia helped establish the Regenerative Bioscience Center (RBC)
- The main goal, to lay a foundation for collaborative research, training and resource sharing.
2012: One of five research centers in the United States awarded NIH (HEST) training
- Awarded NIH T-15 training grant.
- Researchers from India, Korea, Japan, Mexico, Canada and several from the European community attended one of five NIH supported RBC symposia and human embryonic stem cell workshops at UGA.
2014: RBC joins the Regenerative Engineering and Medicine Center (REM)
- The RBC plays an active role in REM sponsored international and regional conferences. Including the Annual Charleston Regenerative Medicine Workshop and networking events rotated between three institutions; UGA, GT, and Emory.
- Update 2025 -REM yielded an impressive $27,956,493 leveraged funding (ROI: 11.43) and 61 publications to date. The leveraged funding ROI since FY21 is an equally impressive 11.72. (Peroni,co-directs / Stice former co-Director)
2017: RBC scores CMaT collaboration award to create the Center for Cell Manufacturing Technologies
- RBC orchestrated UGA’s part in a successful bid for $50 million in funding from NSF to establish CMaT. Currently, 8 RBC faculty receive funding with over $7million allocated to UGA. (Stice co-PI, UGA lead).
- CMaT partnership has continually delivered on translating research into products and jobs through industry partnerships. (e.g.: ThermoFisher Scientific, Celgene, and Aruna Bio)
2019: The College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences (CAES) Awards RBC the 2019 Diversity Award
The award recognizes the centers work for supporting undergraduate, graduate students, and faculty from diverse backgrounds and RBC members who work toward achieving a welcoming, supportive and inclusive working environment.
2022: RBC works in collaboration with CAES Animal Dairy Science to create first regenerative bioscience major for undergraduates
First in the nation to offer an academic major for undergraduates to study
the field of Regenerative Bioscience, co-created by faculty of the RBC.
2024: RBC works in collaboration with CAES Animal Dairy Science to offer state’s first Ph.D. in regenerative bioscience
First in Georgia to offer a PhD program to study the field of Regenerative Bioscience, co-created by faculty of the RBC.
Institutional Collaboration
