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S'pore Ideal Place For Cell Bank October 27, 2003 THERE is still a lot more to be done before stem cell research actually leads to cures for diseases, but Oxford University's Sir George Radda said there were three areas to look out for. The degenerative disorder, Parkinson's disease, is an early contender, followed by heart disease and Type 1 diabetes, he told reporters at the international stem cell conference yesterday. Scientists already know what cells need to be replaced in patients with Parkinson's, he said, while others were working hard to use stem cells to repair hearts damaged by disease. Touching on the importance of public stem cell banks like the one that opened recently in Britain, he said such banks could be a global resource for work in the field. 'Singapore would be a very good place to have this kind of bank, and this will help overcome the problem faced by researchers of not having enough lines for research.' Meanwhile, Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*Star) chairman Philip Yeo announced at the conference that his agency was setting up a new Centre for Molecular Medicine, which will be funded by A*Star's Biomedical Research Council. The centre, to be based in the research hub Biopolis, aims to keep ideas fresh and flowing by having groups of researchers working for three to five years on a pioneering project before moving on to something else. 'This is a new concept where the groups are continuously changing, that's how you get a renewal of ideas,' said Mr Yeo. There will be several broad areas of research, including immunology, metabolism and regenerative medi- cine. Dr Ron McKay, senior investigator and chief of the molecular biology laboratory at the United States National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, endorsed the idea, which is catching on in other countries as well. 'Because these fields are constantly changing, it's unusual to have one group that is always contributing to the cutting edge of discovery. That's why lots of places are putting in the resources to do this,' he said. -- Chang Ai- lien SOURCE: Straits Times, Singapore http://straitstimes.asia1.com.sg/techscience/story/0,4386,217118,00.html * * * ---------------------------------------------------------------------- To sign-off Parkinsn send a message to: mailto:[log in to unmask] In the body of the message put: signoff parkinsn