MADISON, Wis. -- A top University of Wisconsin scientist is leaving Madison to work as the director of a new stem cell institute in California.

Dr. Clive Svendsen is a widely-respected professor of neurology and anatomy at the UW. His research specializes in treating neurodegenerative disorders, like ALS and Parkinson's disease.

Svendsen will now serve as the director of the Cedars-Sinai Regenerative Medicine Institute.