Stem Cell Research
The UK is a world leader in stem cell research and the MRC has played a major part in this achievement. MRC-funded scientists, both in our research units and in universities around the country, are continuously making strides forward in understanding stem cells and their potential. This section explains what stem cells are and their potential for improving human health, and gives a brief overview of MRC activities and collaborations in stem cell research.
What are stem cells?
Stem cells are immature cells that have not yet developed into the specialised cells that make up our organs and tissues. They are found throughout the body and are present from just after conception right through to adulthood. Unlike specialised cells, stem cells are able to generate many different types of cell, such as the beating cells of the heart or the insulin-producing cells of the pancreas. And they have the ability to renew – make identical copies of – themselves almost indefinitely.
There are two types of stem cell – embryonic and adult. Embryonic stem cells have the potential to form almost all of the different tissue types that make up the human body, while adult stem cells tend to be more specialised and only able to form particular cells, such as different types of blood cell.
Stem cells and human health
Many diseases are caused by the premature death or malfunction of cells. For instance, Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s diseases are due to brain cells dying, while type 1 diabetes is caused by faulty pancreatic cells. Scientists believe that stem cell therapy may offer a revolutionary way to treat such illnesses by repairing diseased and damaged body tissues and replacing them with healthy new cells. But it is important to remember that a huge amount of research is still needed before it is understood exactly how stem cells work and they can be used to treat patients.
The MRC and stem cell research
The MRC has an international reputation for stem cell science, which has helped to attract an array of top stem cell scientists to the UK. Some are based in MRC units and institutes, while many are funded by MRC grants in universities. Stem cell research became a priority for Government in 2002, when the MRC and the other research councils were given an additional £40 million to invest in stem cell research. We currently fund more than 130 stem cell research projects, fellowships and studentships in the university sector, as well as supporting major stem cell programmes in three of our institutes/units and at two MRC centres. The MRC is also the major contributor to the UK stem cell bank.
The UK Stem Cell Bank
In 2004, we opened the UK Stem Cell Bank in partnership with the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council. The first of its kind in the world, the Bank is responsible for storing, characterising and supplying ethically-approved, quality-controlled stem cell lines for medical research and treatment. The UK Stem Cell Bank stores stem cells derived from adult, fetal and embryonic tissues and is open to approved scientists in the UK and abroad. It operates under a strict code of practice overseen by a high-level steering committee. As of November 2007 a total of 63 human embryonic stem cell lines had been approved for banking, derived from both UK and international centres, with 12 quality controlled lines freely available for distribution to the research community. The Bank has also established an international profile for developing the best ways to bank stem cell lines for research and therapy, and actively supports national and international research and training programmes.
The International Stem Cell Forum
We launched the International Stem Cell Forum (ISCF) in 2003 along with eight other international funding agencies with similar scientific principles and resources. These agencies all shared our concerns about the need to create standardised global criteria for creating, storing and maintaining stem cell lines. Today, the ISCF has a total of 21 member organisations in 19 countries. The forum is currently working on three key projects:
1. The International Stem Cell Initiative (ISCI), which aims to characterise the basic properties of a range of human embryonic stem cell (hESC) lines and establish a registry that can be used as a reference source for the global research community – the results of the initial characterisation of 65 hESC lines were published in 2007.
2. The International Stem Cell Banking Initiative, to establish best practice and guidelines for the banking and development of hESC lines for research and therapeutic application.
3. A global review of ethics and regulation of stem cell research. It is also carrying out a review of intellectual property issues related to stem cells.
Details of these three ISCF initiatives along with the fourth ISCF initiative looking at Intellectual Property Rights, can be found at www.stemcellforum.org