MRC announces funding towards a stem cell centre at Cambridge

The MRC Cambridge Centre for Stem Cell Biology and Medicine will form the core of the Cambridge Stem Cell Institute, an interdisciplinary coalition of research teams that brings great strengths to bear on the challenges of stem cell genetics, biology and medicine. This is a step forward in a scientific field where the University has already demonstrated commitment by providing £10M of its own funding, and by endowing a prestigious professorship.

The Institute will push forward the work in this vital area of research by gathering together world-class scientists investigating the fundamental principles of these building blocks of life. The key is how these cells can be used to benefit the millions of sufferers of destructive conditions like diabetes, Parkinsons, Alzheimers, spinal cord injuries and multiple sclerosis (MS) throughout the world.

The Cambridge Institute brings together six leading UK stem cell researchers to provide leadership for the University's interdisciplinary Stem Cell Institute. The Institute will undertake three main programmes of research: Stem Cell Genetics, to be directed by Professor Azim Surani, Department of Physiology; Stem Cell Biology (Director to be recruited); and Stem Cell Medicine, to be directed by Professor Roger Pedersen of the Department of Surgery.

The other key Cambridge stem cell researchers supported by the MRC Centre funding are Professor Anne Cooke, Department of Pathology; Professor Charles ffrench-Constant, Department of Pathology; Dr. Sarah Bray, Department of Anatomy; and Professor Tony Green, Department of Haematology.

The mission of the Cambridge Stem Cell Institute is to harness basic knowledge of cellular and developmental biology for therapy of human diseases through stem cells.

This will be accomplished by fusing the University's basic research efforts with its clinical expertise. The purpose of this union is to generate a stem cell research enterprise that not only accelerates the translation of stem cell biology into clinical use, but also generates fundamental insights into mechanisms of normal human development and the influence of stem cells in birth defects and cancer.

Professor Roger Pedersen, Professor of Regenerative Medicine at the University of Cambridge, welcomed the funding:

"This announcement from the MRC is an extremely important milestone, accelerating the progress of stem cell research and reinforcing Cambridge's position as a leading force in one of the most exciting areas of biomedical science.

"Stem cell research promises to dramatically improve mankind's understanding of biology and immeasurably improve human health. Stem cells are the building blocks for every type of cell in the body, capable of maturing into any tissue type including blood, bone or neuronal cells. Research on stem cells is likely to lead to innovative cell transplantation therapies.

"Stem cell research will also have a major impact on understanding the developmental and regenerative capacity of the human body as a whole. Stem cell research has a profound potential for treating currently debilitating diseases, such late-onset conditions as Parkinson's, Alzheimer's, diabetes, cancers, heart and blood diseases, and thus has the capacity to markedly improve the quality of life."

Professor Alison Richard, Vice-Chancellor of the University of Cambridge, commented:

"Cambridge has a very distinguished heritage of scientific breakthroughs, of which we are justifiably proud. The University does not rest on its laurels, however, and the outstanding team of scientists leading the new Stem Cell Institute are a hallmark of the continuing tradition of scientific excellence here. The research of these scientists is of immense medical significance, and I am confident that it will bring breakthroughs of huge benefit for human health and well being."

Professor Hawking, Lucasian Professor of Mathematics at the University of Cambridge:

"If DNA is the software of genetics, then stem cells are its hardware. What better place to study them than in Cambridge, where the structure of DNA was discovered."

Christopher Reeve, actor, director and President of the Christopher Reeve Paralysis Foundation:

"I am delighted to hear from Professor Pedersen that the Medical Research Council will be providing this support for a stem cell research centre in Cambridge, bringing a world-class team of scientists together under one roof.

"I believe that research on embryonic stem cells must be taken forward with the utmost urgency, as they are our greatest hope for curing conditions such as spinal cord injury, diabetes and Parkinsons disease that are beyond the reach of current therapies. Stem cell research should lead to the kinds of medical advances that one day will be compared to the development of penicillin, the polio vaccine and the heart transplant."

Cambridge discoveries in biology and medicine include:

• mammalian cloning;
• human in vitro fertilisation;
• discovery of mammalian embryonic stem cells;
• discovery of genomic imprinting;
• development of immunosuppression for organ transplantation.

Research into clinical applications of stem cells in areas such as immunology, brain repair and haematology are well-established.

More than 20 Cambridge research groups will be working on stem-cell research and closely-related disciplines, under the auspices of the Cambridge Stem Cell Institute, representing more than £30M of current research funding.