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Evening Chronicle, Newcastle, 16 November 2006A world-Leading stem cell "factory" is nearing completion on Tyneside.
The £4m facility at the Centre for Life in Newcastle is the largest in the UK and one of the largest of its kind in the world.
Our picture offers a sneak preview of a facility set to lead in its field.
It will enable scientists on Tyneside to produce various stem cells that can be put into humans following further research and development.
It is hoped the first production of stem cells will be in the spring.
Funded by One NorthEast, the facility is split into two - a smaller area for the NHS and a larger Newcastle University facility.
Martin Cox, project manager of the North East England Stem Cell Institute said: "We are about to get one of the world's leading stem cell facilities here in the North East.
"We will be able to work on the whole range of types of stem cells - embryonic, cord blood and adult.
"It is one of the biggest in the world and certainly the biggest in the UK. It is yet another example that in the North East we are leading the way in a medical revolution."
The Chronicle exclusively revealed recently that two Newcastle University scientists had managed to grow mini livers using stem cells taken from umbilical cords.
And other researchers have made great strides in treatments for killer diseases such as leukaemia and immune deficiency disorders.
Stem-cell research is still very much in its infancy and huge amounts of finance are needed to take it further.
The UK Stem Cell Foundation (UKSCF) held a fundraising dinner at Durham Castle on Monday, sponsored by the Centre of Excellence for Life Sciences (CELS) based at Newcastle's Life Centre.
Durham and Newcastle University scientists put the case forward for attracting more funding.
UK Stem Cell Foundation chief executive David Macauley said: "There is a unique opportunity for us in this country in that we are leading the world in this area.
"There is an exciting centre of excellence emerging in the North East which is down to the likes of Newcastle and Durham Universities combining their resources, and backing from One NorthEast.
"But the window of opportunity is closing and the time for action is now. We need investment.
"Until we can prove to the markets that stem cells are the third industrial age, we need to bridge a funding gap."
One NorthEast's healthcare pillar manager Dr Caroline Gladwell said: "Stem cell research presents considerable opportunities for new therapies and treatments.
"Steps can be taken towards finding cures for degenerative diseases like cancer, Alzheimer's and Parkinson's."
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