East of England Stem Cell Network

THE EAST OF ENGLAND Stem Cell Network was established in 2004 to facilitate and encourage collaboration and interaction between those from the academic, clinical, and commercial sectors with an interest in stem cell science in this region. The East of England network is an acknowledged center of excellence in all aspects of stem cell research. As well as being the location of the Cambridge Stem Cell Institute and the U.K. Stem Cell Bank, it hires people with expertise across the fields of developmental biology, epigenetics, clinical translation of research into practice, and the ethics and regulation of stem cell technology. The network is a collaborative effort among Cambridge University, Addenbrooke's Hospital, and a host of business and research groups.

The East of England network is host to an extensive range and depth of research activity in the field of stem cell science. It has been estimated that there are over 150 individuals and 45 research, infrastructure, and commercial organizations with independent projects in the stem cell sector that are ongoing in the region. Research in this area spans the basic sciences of developmental genetics, cellular biology, genomic imprinting, and cell signaling to the clinical application of stem cells for neuronal repair and pancreatic islet transplantation. In addition to this activity, the eastern region of the country is also home to a number of organizations with interests in the fields of scientific knowledge dissemination and education, legal and regulatory affairs, and the commercial applications of stem cell research.

The major new contributor to the East of England network's stem cell research activities is the Cambridge Stem Cell Initiative, an interdisciplinary coalition of faculty members from across the University of Cambridge that comprises investigators in both the School of Biological Sciences and the School of Clinical Medicine. The initiative is led by Professor Roger Pedersen and supports three major research programs in the areas of stem cell genetics, biology, and medicine. Its mission is to generate insights into the biology of stem cells through basic research, and thus to provide the foundation needed for novel therapies from regenerative medicine. The initiative also aims to train the next generation of stem cell researchers and to attract the best in the field to Cambridge. At present, the main hub of the initiative is the Cambridge Institute for Stem Cell Biology. The institute's chair [Page 180]is Professor Austin Smith, a leading figure in the human and mouse embryonic stem cell research arena. The institute has recently recruited a number of new principal investigators, and its next phase is the development of facilities dedicated to clinical stem cell research, which will be based on the campus of one of the region's leading teaching hospitals, Addenbrooke's, which is part of the Cambridge University Hospitals National Health Service Foundation Trust. Both the research conducted within the newly formed institute and the wider initiative build on existing work that is taking place within Cambridge University.

Cambridge University's School of Clinical Medicine also hosts a number of eminent researchers with major interests in the therapeutic potential of stem cells. Roger Pedersen, professor of regenerative medicine at the Department of Surgery there, is conducting research into the differentiation of human embryonic stem (hES) cells by creating stable, transgenic cell lines that express green fluorescent protein without affecting cell pluripotency. These lines therefore provide an ideal tool for the investigation of the role of specific genes involved in hES differentiation. Additional activity with a number of collaborators has centered on the study of the mechanisms involved in the maintenance of hES pluripotency and the development of stem cells for pancreatic islet transplantation for the treatment of type 1 diabetes. Professor Pedersen is also the director of the program in stem cell medicine at the Cambridge Stem Cell Initiative.

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