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Kenneth Snowden, Director, Life Sciences, Scottish Enterprise Feedback on this story STEM CELL RESEARCH AND GLOBAL IMPLICATIONS Life Sciences Expert Available to Discuss the Latest Topics, Innovations and Discoveries in Stem Cell Research Today May 2007 There has been a lot of controversy in the U.S. about the ethics of stem cell research. What is the impact of this controversy and do other countries face similar challenges? Scotland has become the model for the world when it comes to cloning and stem cell research, striking a fine balance between a highly productive research environment that is closely monitored and operates on strong ethical and regulatory standards. Scotland continues to grow as a hotbed for life sciences and is considered by many as the leading force in stem cell and regenerative medicine research. In January of 2007, ITI Life Sciences (Dundee, Scotland) announced they will fund a program to develop an automated process to produce high-quality human stem cells with $18.7 million. This capability does not exist anywhere in the world and its development will put Scotland at the forefront of stem cell research as well as bringing closer the use of stem cells as therapeutics. As part of this three-year program, Swedish biotech company Cellartis AB, one of the world's most advanced stem cell companies and the world's largest provider of ethically-derived human embryonic stem cell lines (i.e. cells with the potential to become any type of cell) is setting up a research and development and manufacturing facility in Dundee. Some facts about Scottish research include: The cloning of Dolly the Sheep at the Roslin Institute in Edinburgh, Scotland is one of the defining scientific breakthroughs of the last century and that pioneering tradition continues in Scotland with ground-breaking, internationally-acclaimed work in stem cells and regenerative medicine; Scotland has one of the largest and fastest growing life science communities in Europe and is home to 15 percent of the UK's life science companies; More medical research is conducted per capita in Scotland than anywhere else in Europe; and Scotland has established centers of excellence in medicine, genetics and cloning technology and a supportive legislative framework for the use of stem cells. ### ---------------------------------------------------------------------- To sign-off Parkinsn send a message to: mailto:[log in to unmask] In the body of the message put: signoff parkinsn