UK to tie up with India in stem cell research

Recognising India's strength in stem cell research, United Kingdom has expressed keen interest in taking up collaborative therapeutic work in the field.

Addressing a press conference here on Monday to announce a week long 'Indo-UK stem cell workshop', British high commissioner to India Sir Michael Arthur said the UK has a pragmatic, but not permissive, policy on embryonic stem cell research.

"We are pleased that India shares a similar position on stem cell policy. And we recognise India's growing strengths in this field of research."

"We hope that the stem cell workshop will be a catalyst for a number of Indo-UK collaborations in this area of research that holds much promise for benefiting human health," he added.

At the start of the 21st century, bilateral relationship between the two countries have begun to to change significantly.

"We have all the traditional bonds -- shared history, language, legal framework, pluralist political culture -- and both governments are now harnessing those links to a new wide-ranging agenda," he said.

"Last September the two prime ministers -- Tony Blair and Manmohan Singh -- recongised that we are now becoming strategic partners. With this, the UK has recognised that we cannot achieve our global policy goals without working with India. There are very few countries about whom we say that," he added.

According to analysts global revenues in the stem cell and tissue engineering market is likely to touch $10 billion by 2013 and UK plans to achieve sizeable share through collaborations and joint ventures.

The UK has been represented at the workshop by National Stem Cell Bank, the UK Stem Cell Initiative, the UK Stem Cell Foundation (led by private sector), the Human Embryology and Fertilisation Authority and a number of stem cell centres.

To facilitate continued interaction beyond the workshop, Sir Michael Arthur said, "The Royal Society and British Council has drawn up plans to initiate joint programmes that can provide further support for up to three years. We believe that there is great opportunities for joint work. I am sure such workshops will be productive and successful for both the countries."

Stem cell research in the UK is funded primarily by the medical research council and its strength lies in therapeutic cloning, diabetes and neuron diseases and it is here that UK is looking at taking up collaborative research to carry forward its application, said Azim Surani, University of Cambridge who is leading the UK delegation. UK in its 2005 budget has announced £2.5 billion allocation for biotech.