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September 28, 2006 - 11:06 AM Scientists in Geneva are aiming to produce the world's first "clean" line of stem cells for use in the treatment of degenerative diseases such as Parkinson's . Based at a laboratory at the city's University Hospital, the team face fierce competition from rivals in Europe and the United States. The laboratory, which officially opened on Wednesday, will be run by researchers Anis Feki and Marisa Jaconi, the first person in Switzerland to carry out research with human embryonic stem cells. "The aim is to isolate embryonic stem cells using a new procedure that avoids exposure of the cells to animal components, which carry the risk of infections. Most of the lines that are presently available in the world have been derived using bovine serum, for example, and are not suitable for clinical applications," Jaconi told swissinfo. "To be able to apply cells for regenerative medicine, we need clinical grade cells that are clean in the sense that they are not derived from anything to do with animals." The scientists have received a SFr770,000 ($620,000) three-year funding package from the Swiss National Science Foundation for their research. Swiss in-vitro fertilisation centres have provided 100 surplus embryos donated by couples and dating from pre-2001, which had been earmarked for destruction. A new law allowing stem cell research on surplus human embryos, which was backed by two-thirds of voters, came into force in Switzerland in March last year. Clinical use Jaconi, who has been working on imported human stem cells since 2002, says the Swiss research project is one of a number around the world striving to produce "clean" stem cell lines for clinical use. According to the biologist, Geron, a California-based biopharmaceutical firm, is due to begin next year the first trials with human embryonic stem cells to try to repair spinal cord injuries. She said scientists in Sweden and Finland had also informed her that they were ready to begin similar research as soon as they get clinical grade cells. "There is a race in a sort of sense between Europe and the US as to who is going to be able to start the first tests on humans." First trials Jaconi said the first tests would be done on seriously ill patients "who have no other hope than to try these kind of interventions". Embryonic stem cells can be transformed into almost any other cell in the body. Experts believe that they may eventually lead to treatments for a range of serious illnesses including Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, cardiovascular diseases and diabetes. Cell replacement therapy and tissue engineering are two key areas of application. The Geneva team have already defrosted 12 embryos, but four of them were unusable. They hope to be able to extract five stem cell lines from the 100 they have been given. swissinfo, Adam Beaumont in Geneva ---------------------------------------------------------------------- To sign-off Parkinsn send a message to: mailto:[log in to unmask] In the body of the message put: signoff parkinsn