"The Institute will serve as the nexus of cutting-edgescientific breakthroughs that will improve and save lives ofmillions of our fellow citizens," says Gov. Jon Corzine. "As webuild this institute, we are building on a longstanding commitmentto ensure that New Jersey is a world leader in the stem cellrevolution."

The Institute is a joint venture between Rutgers University andthe University of Medicine & Dentistry of New Jersey-RobertWood Johnson Medical School. The building will rise on a formerparking lot next to Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital, nearthe Cancer Institute of New Jersey. Completion is slated for early2011.

State, university and hospital officials have also announcedthat the facility will include the Christopher Reeve Pavilion,named for the late actor, a Princeton native, who became anactivist for stem cell research following his paralyzing horseriding accident in 1995. The Stem Cell Institute itself willinclude a combination of research, clinical study and outpatienttreatment facilities.