TOP 100 SCIENCE SITES
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| The Irrigation Juggernaut A computerized analysis finds that irrigation may be cooling big swaths of North America, Europe and Asia, temporarily masking the effects of global warming. feeds.nytimes.com |
Cuts threaten pioneering stem cell work, say scientists • Shortfall in funding threatens UK's position as world leader• £10m needed over 10 years to keep Britain at the topBritain risks losing its position as a world leader in stem cell research because there is too little money to turn breakthroughs into treatments, scientists have warned.A shortfall in funding for regenerative medicine, which aims to use stem cells to repair damaged organs and tissues, means cutting-edge therapies developed in UK labs could be commercialised in other countries first.Poor support for the work, coupled with impending cuts in the government's spending review next month, have led to fears of job losses and a brain drain away from Britain, the scientists say.Sir Richard Sykes, chairman of the UK stem cell foundation, blamed the previous government for failing to honour its commitment to help researchers turn their discoveries into medical therapies and urged coalition ministers to revive support for the field."Despite the UK leading the world in stem cell research, there is a serious risk of failing to translate that science into patient therapies due to the funding gap," Sir Richard said. "If that happens we will see British scientists move away and the commercial benefits we could have exploited will be exploited by other people."Sir Richard is one of Britain's most experienced scientists. He recently stepped down as rector of Imperial College and was formerly chairman of the pharmaceuticals company GlaxoSmithKline. The UK stem cell foundation was set up in 2005 to speed the progress of promising stem cell therapies through clinical trials.Many scientists believe stem cells have the potential to revolutionise medicine because they can be grown into any kind of tissue in the body. Treatments that can regenerate diseased or damaged organs are a distant prospect, but stem cells are already being used to study incurable diseases such as Alzheimer's and Parkinson's and to screen new drugs.Britain established itself as a world leader in stem-cell science in the past decade when the Bush administration imposed severe restrictions on the use of embryonic stem cells by US researchers. Other countries, such as Germany and Italy, also blocked the research. In the same period Britain introduced strict but permissive laws allowing scientists to work with embryonic stem cells, a move that drew leading researchers to set up labs here.Sir Richard said an annual fund of £10m for a 10-year period was needed to keep Britain in the top rank of stem cell research countries.The prospect of cuts to medical science has led some leading stem cell researchers to consider their future in Britain. Professor Pete Coffey, director of the London Project to Cure Blindness at University College London, said yesterday that he would have to reduce job numbers at his department if cuts reach 10%.Embryos and stem cellsScience policyMedical researchGeneticsBiologyResearchHigher educationResearch fundingIan Sampleguardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2010 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds guardian.co.uk |
Letters: A Specious Species? (3 Letters) Letters to the editor. feeds.nytimes.com |
Beyond the grave Why city cemeteries are vital for urban biodiversity bbc.co.uk |
What's been eating the ammonites? A new research paper by experts in Lyme Regis suggests that local ammonite fossils have visible bite marks. news.bbc.co.uk |