"It's the coming together of the four leading biomedical science institutions here," Scripps spokesman Keith McKeown was quoted. "We're all within almost shouting distance of each other.... We decided that by combining the knowledge and experience of our scientists, we'd be building something that was incredibly robust in the area of stem-cell research."

Scripps' stem cell research thusfar has focused mainly on cells collected from adult tissue, or adult stem cells. The goals of their research to day have been focused on the search for chemical triggers to activate existing stem cells. The Burnham Institute, which has been quietly negotiating a deal to expand to Florida, conducts embryonic stem-cell research.

Considerably more at - Scripps dives into embryonic stem-cell research in California