World experts on stem cell research are gathering today for a two-day symposium to celebrate 25 years of stem cell research in Cambridge and to mark the opening of a world-class new research centre.
(Media-Newswire.com) - In 1981 two papers appeared that reported the derivation of pluripotent stem cell lines from cultured mouse embryos ( 1, 2 ). Now called embryonic stem ( ES ) cells, they have since transformed research in mammalian development, genetics, stem cell biology and regenerative medicine.
To celebrate the 25th anniversary of this landmark discovery, the University of Cambridge, in partnership with Nature, is holding a special symposium.
The opening afternoon of the meeting reviews the history of ES cells and other pioneering contributions on mouse and human embryology in Cambridge, with presentations from the key researchers.
The evening features a poster session and mixer for participants. The second day focuses on current research and future prospects for both embryonic and tissue stem cells.
Twelve leaders in the field from North America, Japan and Europe, will present and discuss their latest findings.
Under the leadership of Professors Austin Smith and Fiona Watt, the Wellcome Trust Centre for Stem Cell Research, Cambridge will pioneer the next generation of stem cell research, encompassing embryonic, foetal and adult stem cells.
Based at the University of Cambridge, and with £10 million of funding from the Wellcome Trust, it will be an international centre of excellence in fundamental stem cell research. It is destined to become the leading research centre in Europe and to compete with leading institutes in Japan, Singapore and North America.
The Centre will focus on defining the genetic and biomedical mechanisms that control how stem cells develop into particular types of cell. This will provide foundations for genetic engineering of stem cells to model particular diseases, drug discovery and regenerative medicine.
Study of stem cells can improve our understanding of how the human body develops and maintains itself, and of how certain diseases arise. Research in this area offers great potential for future medical treatments.
Professor Austin Smith was previously at the University of Edinburgh where he led a team that developed the world’s first pure nerve stem cells made from human embryonic stem cells, a breakthrough seen as important for tackling diseases such as Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s.
“Stem cell biology is a young and complex area of basic research with emerging potential for biomedical applications,” says Professor Smith. “With current US legislation restricting public funding of human embryonic stem cell research, there is a window of opportunity for the United Kingdom to become a world leader.”
Taking the post of Deputy Director at the Centre, Professor Fiona Watt has recently been appointed Herchel Smith Professor of Molecular Genetics at the University of Cambridge. She was previously head of the Keratinocyte Laboratory at the Cancer Research UK London Research Centre. Professor Watt is also Deputy Director of the new Cancer Research UK Cambridge Research Institute.
The Wellcome Trust has awarded a £3 million grant to Professor Watt. Her team will investigate how the epidermis ( the outer covering of the skin ) can be stimulated to produce new hair follicles and sebaceous glands. In addition to improving the quality of treatment for burns victims, her research will provide insights into the signals for regeneration and production of other specialist cell types, such as muscle and brain cells. This would enable the development of therapies using adult stem cell alternatives for numerous diseases and conditions.
"We are pleased to support this exciting new centre of excellence for stem cell research," says Sir William Castell, Chair of the Wellcome Trust. "We anticipate that the research done at the centre will make a significant contribution to the global understanding of basic stem cell biology. This knowledge is vitally important and will provide the essential foundations for developing therapeutics in the future."
An £11 million refurbishment of buildings in central Cambridge provides the home for the Centre, in close proximity to the Gurdon Institute for the study of developmental and cancer biology.
Notes for Editors:
1. The Wellcome Trust is the largest independent charity in the UK and the second largest medical research charity in the world. It funds innovative biomedical research, in the UK and internationally, spending around £500 million each year to support the brightest scientists with the best ideas. The Wellcome Trust supports public debate about biomedical research and its impact on health and wellbeing. http://www.wellcome.ac.uk
2. Academics attending will include:
Prof Austin Smith, Director of the Wellcome Trust Centre for Stem Cell Research and MRC Professor
Prof Azim Surani, Gurdon Institute, University of Cambridge
Prof Fiona Watt, Deputy Director of the Wellcome Trust Centre for Stem Cell Research
Professor Alison Richard, Vice-Chancellor, University of Cambridge
Sir William Castell, Chairman of the Wellcome Trust
Professor Alex Markham, CEO of Cancer Research UK
Professor Colin Blakemore, CEO of Medical Research Council
Dr Peter Ringrose, Chair of the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council
Professor Dame Anne McLaren, Wellcome Trust/CR-UK Gurdon Institute, University of Cambridge
Professor Sir Martin Evans, University of Cardiff
Professor Bob Edwards, University of Cambridge
Professor Sir Richard Gardner, University of Oxford
Professor Sir John Gurdon, Gurdon Institute, University of Cambridge
Dr Hitoshi Niwa, Centre for Developmental Biology, Kobe
Dr Maarten Van Lohuizen, Netherlands Cancer Institute, Amsterdam
Professor Elizabeth Robertson, University of Oxford
Professor Meinrad Busslinger, IMP, Vienna
Professor Charles ffrench-Constant, Department of Pathology, University of Cambridge
Dr Ron McKay, National Institute for Health, Bethesda
Dr Shin-ichi Nishikawa, Centre for Development Biology, Kobe
Professor Shinya Yamanaka, University of Kyoto
Professor James Fawcett, Cambridge Centre for Brain Repair, University of Cambridge
Professor Tony Green, Department of Haematology, University of Cambridge
For more information, contact:
Tim Holt, Deputy Head of Communications, University of Cambridge, Tel: 01223 332300
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