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£350m needed to keep
Britain's stem cell lead

The Guardian, December 2, 2005

British stem cell researchers need at least an extra £350m from the government over the next decade to prevent a brain drain and ensure the country retains its position as a world leader in the field, according to a report published yesterday.

The report follows a nine-month review by the UK Stem Cell Initiative, which was set up by the chancellor, Gordon Brown.

The review, chaired by the former director of research and development at the Department of Health, Sir John Pattison, found that between £350m and £520m of extra funds are needed until 2016 to keep Britain at the forefront of a burgeoning field, which some believe will lead to therapies for cancers and neurological disorders. "The ultimate health and wealth gains the UK will enjoy are directly proportional to the additional investment we are proposing," said Sir John.

The report identifies a worrying gap in support for stem cell research where government spending stops and industry funding begins, leaving little or no money to take basic scientific discoveries into clinical trials that can lead to commercially viable therapies.

The UK Stem Cell Foundation, a charity led by Sir Richard Sykes, former head of GlaxoSmithKline, has been set up to raise funds specifically to plug the shortfall.

According to the Treasury, the chancellor will today announce £50m in new funds for stem cell research over the next two years. "I'm very pleased that the government has made that response, but it is only for two years," said Sir John.

Concern over a brain drain heightened when Professor Miodrag Stojkovic, the Newcastle University stem cell researcher who became the first in Europe to clone a human embryo, announced his departure for a better-paid position in Valencia.

"When Miodrag announced he was going to Spain, it became clear that the risk was real," said Sir John. "We have to make sure that life isn't so tough that they go off to the US, Singapore or wherever."

"The UK currently has a unique advantage in the field of stem cell research," said Professor Roger Pedersen, an American researcher now based at the Cambridge University stem cell group. "The field has become highly competitive, with emerging long-term, high-level support in individual US states, in Singapore and in the far east. In order to maintain its current leadership position in both regulatory policy and research, the UK needs to amplify its long-term investment."

Ian Sample, science correspondent