The UK's Medical Research Council (MRC) has warned that progress in stem cell research in this country may be overtaken by the US if the current federal restrictions are lifted sometime in the future. Leszek Borysiewicz, the newly appointed head of the MRC, raised concerns that once full financial backing for embryonic stem cell research is established in the US then the UK might not be able to keep pace. 'This is an area that Britain could very quickly be overtaken in, particularly if the sort of big bucks that California are throwing into the system were suddenly thrown in across the whole of the United States', he said.
Borysiewicz spoke of the success of the UK stem cell industry as being largely a result of US restrictions pushing scientists abroad to conduct their research in more permissive regulatory environments, and the UK being in a good position to entice the expertise over. However, Borysiewicz says, more investment is needed to maintain the UK's current lead: 'We have been very fortunate in attracting those individuals. But they require an infrastructure and support which is very heavy. We have got to be sure that it is maintained at the highest quality levels - that does not come cheaply, but we have to make sure it actually happens, because these people move on'.
It is widely believed that the next US President would relax restrictions imposed by George Bush. The Democrats have already successfully passed legislation through both the House of Representatives and the Senate that removes the federal restrictions on embryonic stem cell research, only for it to be ultimately vetoed by the President. Individual states have also taken the initiative to pass legislation at state level to direct public funds to support the research. The California Institute of Regenerative Medicine (CIRM) was established in 2004 after Californians voted overwhelmingly in favour of Proposition 71.
The CIRM has $3 billion to direct stem cell research, including research on embryos, in the state. UK scientist, Dr Stephen Minger, says that California is already attracting worldwide stem cell researchers. He attributes the UK advantage to a facilitatory framework established by more permissive regulation that supports, in principle and in practice, research using embryos. 'I think the advantage that we have had is a stable regulatory environment and strong governmental support for the last five years. So I think we have a lead'. But it is not clear whether the supportive environment for embryo research in the UK will be sufficient to maintain it's leading position if opened up to competition from the US. If federal restrictions are relaxed, says devlopmental biologist Robin Lovell-Badge, then 'the situation will become hugely more competitive and we will be, I guess, generally at a disadvantage'.
Meanwhile in the US, the Human Embryonic Stem Cell Registry has been renamed by executive order the Human Pluripotent Stem Cell Registry. George Bush decided the remove the word 'embryonic' in an effort viewed as downplaying the pluripotent potential of embryonic stem cells. The complete pluripotency of embryonic stem cells has not yet been proven and opponents favour research using somatic (adult) stem cells. The order also directs more funding towards research using somatic cells and alternative sources of pluripotent stem cells.
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