The University of Wisconsin will lose one of its most esteemed stem cell scientists as researcher and professor Clive Svendsen departs to become the director of the newly established Cedars-Sinai Regenerative Medicine Institute in Los Angeles.

As founder and co-director of UW’s Stem Cell and Regenerative Medicine Center, Svendsen lead groundbreaking research into both the modeling and treating of neurodegenerative disorders using a combination of stem cells and power growth factors, according to a statement released by Cedars-Sinai.

Svendsen said he believes stem cell research at UW has brought the field into a new era.

The discovery that pluripotent stem cells can be generated from adult skin tissue means that human embryos no longer need to be utilized, possibly sidestepping the controversy surrounding the field of stem cell research.

Svendsen added he hopes to continue to pursue new approaches to modeling some of the worst degenerative diseases at Cedars-Sinai, including a stem cell transplant trial for Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis, more commonly known as Lou Gehrig’s disease.

“I think he will establish significant research operations out there studying neuro-stem cells and other forms of stem cells that can be used to treat neurodegenerative diseases which is not currently available out there,” said Timothy Kamp, co-director of UW’s Stem Cell and Regenerative Medicine Center. “They don’t have that extent of basic science research at Cedar-Sinai available now.”

Svendsen said while he is sad to be leaving, his decision to depart from UW was heavily influenced by the fact that he is expecting a baby, and with family in California and “a once in a lifetime offer” from Cedars-Sinai, the move made sense on multiple levels.

Svendsen’s departure will certainly have a negative impact on the programs he was involved in, according to Paul Deluca, vice dean and associate dean for research and graduate studies at the UW School of Medicine and Public Health.

“We are certainly going to attract some talent, but we’re not going to attract another Clive,” Deluca said.

Svendsen is widely respected throughout the field and in politics.At the World Stem Cell Summit in Madison last fall, Former Gov. Tommy Thompson said that if he were president, one of his first actions would be appointing Svendsen as head of the National Institutes of Health. He was cheered for the notion.

While Svendsen’s major administrative and scientific contributions will certainly be missed, Kamp remains hopeful for the future of stem cell research at the university.

“The campus is still rich with researchers in this area…I don’t think it’s really going to deflect things in a major way,” Kamp said. “We will obviously have to find ways to replace all the major contributions Clive made, but we’re not going to be rudderless; we got things established pretty well…I don’t see this as being a major set back that will throw us off the course we are on.”

Kamp added that Svendsen’s move would also create a valuable connection between UW and Cedars-Sinai, providing avenues for collaboration at multiple levels.

“I think that having centers interact around the country is also a useful thing to help the field as a whole,” Kamp said.

Nonetheless, the question of how Svendsen’s void will be filled remains a pressing issue for the university.

“These are unprecedented times with regard to hiring new faculty with the economy the way it is,” Kamp said.

There is certainly a current issue with the university’s ability to retain and recruit faculty, according to Deluca, but he does not believe this general trend played a role in Svendsen’s departure.

“What Cedars-Sinai is offering is something that is just not in the cards for us,” Deluvca said. “Even if we had an infinite amount of money we still might not be able to offer him such an opportunity.”