News

Major funding for Durham in £16.5m investment in stem cell research

(28 May 2004)

Key research at the University of Durham is set to receive a significant slice worth £0.5 million of a £16.5 million investment in stem cell research from the UK Research Councils.

Today's package promises to speed the development of new treatments and cures from laboratory to clinic. In total, 57 multidisciplinary research grants have been awarded as part of the new monies allocated via the 2002 Government Spending Review to the UK Research Councils.

Stem cells have the unique ability, when appropriately stimulated, to renew themselves and give rise to other specialised cell types. This gives them the revolutionary potential to repair or replace tissues and organs damaged by disease or disability, offering new hope of treatments and cures for many common diseases including diabetes, cancer, heart disease, Alzheimer's and Parkinson's disease. But a huge amount of research is needed to understand how stem cells work and how their potential could be harnessed.

The Durham grants are for work led by Dr Colin Jahoda, Reader in Biological and Biomedical Sciences, for his pioneering work on the growth and regenerative characteristics of cells in skin and hair follicles. Under the research awards package he has been granted £290,000 from the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council and £314,000 from the Medical Research Council. Dr Jahoda is director of Durham Universities new Centre for Stem Cell Research and Regenerative Medicine which has raised over £4M in grant income during the past two years.

The strategic grants will ensure that the UK is at the forefront of the international research community working on stem cells, and is in a position to lead on the considerable health and economic implications the field promises for the future. They have been awarded by five of the UK Research Councils: the Medical Research Council (MRC), the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC), the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC)*, the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) and the Council for the Central Laboratory of the Research Council's (CCLRC).

Speaking on behalf of Research Councils UK, Professor Colin Blakemore said: It would be wrong to raise expectations of immediate benefits for human patients, but if we can harness the potential of these incredible cells, we might be standing at the threshold of one of the greatest contributions science has made to human health. The funds announced today will enable the UK's finest scientists to further explore the potential of stem cells to treat diseases from cancer to Parkinson's and from diabetes to heart disease.

Contacts and further information:
University of Durham PR Office: Keith Seacroft or Jan Cawood 0191 334 6074
Dr Colin Jahoda: Colin.Jahoda@durham.ac.uk Phone 0191 334 1338

This release was issued by MRC on behalf of Research Councils UK. For more information please contact the MRC press office on 0207 6376011 or press.office@headoffice.mrc.ac.uk

Notes to Editors

The Economic and Social Research Council is a full partner in this collaborative endeavour, and is close to completing the commissioning of research investigating the governance, innovation and social transformation issues related to stem cell technologies. The successful awards will be announced shortly, along with outline plans to raise awareness of the Social Science issues underlying stem cell research and details of capacity building investments.

Research Councils UK (RCUK) is a strategic partnership set up to champion research supported by the seven UK Research Councils and the Arts and Humanities Research Board. Through RCUK the Research Councils are working together to create a common framework for research, training and knowledge transfer. The seven UK Research Councils are:

Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC)
Council for the Central Laboratory of the Research Councils (CCLRC)
Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC)
Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC)
Medical Research Council (MRC) Natural Environment Research Council (NERC)
Particle Physics and Astronomy Research Council (PPARC)
AHRB is due to become a Council in its own right from 2005. RCUK was launched on 1 May 2002. Further information can be found at www.rcuk.ac.uk