In May, the United Kingdom officially opened the world's first stem cell bank.* In May, the United Kingdom officially opened the world's first stem cell stem cell In living organisms, an undifferentiated cell that can produce other cells that eventually make up specialized tissues and organs. There are two major types of stem cells, embryonic and adult. bank. Funded by the Medical Research Council and the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council The Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC) is a British Research Council supporting several scientific research institutes and university research departments in the UK. , the bank will be run by the National Institute for Biological Standards and Controls and will hold stem cell lines A stem cell line is a family of constantly-dividing cells, the product of a single parent group of stem cells. They are obtained from human or animal tissues and can replicate for long periods of time in vitro ("within glass"; or, commonly, "in the lab", in an artificial derived originally from embryonic, fetal, and adult tissues. In addition, grants totaling 16.5 million [pounds sterling] have been awarded to U.K. universities for stem cell research. Across the Atlantic, a proposal to provide $3 billion for stem-cell research Noun 1. stem-cell research - research on stem cells and their use in medicine biological research - scientific research conducted by biologists embryonic stem-cell research - biological research on stem cells derived from embryos and on their use in medicine has qualified for the November 2004 ballot in California after a campaign by scientists and and high-profile patient advocates. If passed, the measure would provide $295 million to researchers each year for ten years, far exceeding the $60 million awarded by the federal government in 2002 under the Bush administration's stringent guidelines. |
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