A roadmap for regenerative medicine

Stem cells: Researchers working with stem cells at the James Martin 21st Century School in Oxford. (Photo: William James.) Recent years have seen dramatic progress in the production and understanding of pluripotent cells, which, researchers hope, will ultimately provide the option of creating replacement cells, tissues or organs in the laboratory. There are currently three potential access routes to such cell therapies, including embryonic stem cells, induced pluripotent cells, and transdifferentiated cells (Curr. Biol. (2011), 21, R235–R237). However, challenges remain both in the fundamental science and in its translation to the clinic. The UK’s Medical Research Council (MRC), together with other research councils and the government’s Technology Strategy Board (TSB), has now outlined a detailed strategy suggesting what UK agencies and researchers should do over the next five years in order to retain their leading role in this field and drive it towards clinical application. The forward-looking report, titled “A strategy for UK regenerative medicine” (http://www.mrc.ac.uk/ Newspublications/News/MRC008536), builds on a previous government report taking stock of past and current developments in the field, an analysis of investment and funding streams, and the outcomes of a “key opinion leaders workshop” held last September.