Scottish Stem Cell Research Fund

Scottish Stem Cell Research Fund

Stem cell research is the most promising area of medical science today. It has the potential to treat so many devastating conditions, such as Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, diabetes, heart attacks, stroke, Multiple Sclerosis, cancer, spinal cord damage and blindness.

A registered charity, the UK Stem Cell Foundation (UKSCF) aims to speed up the progress of this research into treatments and therapies for patients. It does this by funding promising stem cell research projects that have the greatest potential for saving and improving people’s lives.

The UK Stem Cell Foundation was set up in 2005 to help meet the critical funding gap between currently available government and private funding that is hindering the translation of stem cell research and technology into treatments and therapies for patients. The Foundation is the only UK charity to focus specifically on stem cell research as a potential treatment for a wide range of conditions and diseases.

The Scottish Stem Cell Research fund was launched by the UKSCF in September 2011. Supported by Scottish Enterprise through £300,000 project funding, the fund will help to support the promising work of Scotland’s talented and innovative researchers and clinicians.

Many of them require much-needed funding to help progress potential treatments and cures for some of the country’s most devastating illnesses, such as diabetes, Multiple Sclerosis, strokes, blindness, liver disease and Alzheimer’s.

The UK is home to some of the world’s leading experts in stem cell research and is ideally placed to advance stem cell techniques into the clinic for the benefit of billions of people around the globe. Scotland is renowned for its centres of excellence in stem cell research in areas including diabetes, liver disease, cancer, multiple sclerosis, stroke, corneal blindness and bone and cartilage repair.

However the work of these experts is being held back due to a lack of funding that enables their early stage research to reach clinical trial. Clinical trial is where the safety and efficacy of stem cell treatments are tested before they can become treatments for patients.

Over the next 3 years, the UKSCF is seeking to raise an additional £5 million towards stem cell research projects to help speed up their progress into treatments and therapies for patients. The Foundation has already supported a number of stem cell research projects in Scotland in collaboration with Scottish Enterprise.

These have focused on treatments for liver disease, corneal blindness and bone and cartilage repair.

Sir Richard Sykes, Chair of the UKSCF said: “Scotland is home to some of world’s leading stem cell researchers and scientists. However, with ongoing pressure on budgets, it is becoming increasingly difficult to access funding for this exciting area of research. This has led the Foundation with support from Scottish Enterprise to set up a Stem Cell Research Fund specifically for Scotland. We will be focusing on raising funding for research projects from a range of sources, and would encourage everyone with an interest in this exciting area of work to get involved. ”

Andrew Henderson, Life Sciences Manager at Scottish Enterprise commented:

“With the global cell therapy market forecast to reach $70 billion by 2030, and Sciencewatch naming Scotland as the leading country for stem cell research, there is huge scope for Scottish companies to seize new opportunities to grow. Major opportunities exist for cell therapies in heart disease, stroke, diabetes and liver failure. We already have over 20 Scottish companies involved in stem cell activity, and I believe this new fund has the potential to help turn our world-leading science into real commercial success.”

Future Projects for the Scottish Stem Cell Research Fund

Through the new Scottish Stem Cell Research Fund, the UKSCF wishes to raise funding for a number of promising new projects. The aim of the fund is to bridge the critical gap between funding for early stage research (mainly funded by the public sector) and the stage where the private or public health sector wish to get involved. By doing this, the Fund will help to speed the progress of research into therapy for patients with degenerative illnesses and conditions. However stem cell research is costly to carry out, and the closer it gets to potential treatments for patients – i.e. clinical trials, the more expensive it gets.

Funding provided by the UKSCF often can pump prime significant funding into projects from other sources. A recent example of this was a heart disease project, which received funding through the UKSCF of £1m. The project subsequently attracted a further €12 million of funding to help progress the work.

The UKSCF has already received several applications for funding through the Scottish Stem Cell Research Fund, which are still at the early stage of the application review process. A couple of examples of these are outlined below.

Liver Disease

Liver disease is the fifth biggest cause of death in the UK and growing. The only treatment for end-stage liver disease is organ transplantation. Whilst highly successful, the current demand for organs cannot be met by donations, resulting in an increasing number of patient deaths whilst waiting for a suitable organ. In order to improve the survival rate whilst waiting for organ donations, researchers wish to construct a human bio-artificial liver support using stem cell technology. The total cost of the project will be £2.67 million.

HIV

Around 115,000 people in the UK today have been diagnosed with HIV, and many millions internationally. In parts of Africa, over 25% of the population have been diagnosed with HIV. This project aims to develop potential treatments for HIV through the use of stem cells. Through a Phase 1 clinical trial, this project would seek to develop new therapies using Hemopoietic Stem Cells to provide additional longer lasting treatments for HIV. The total cost of this project will be £2.3 million.

Applications

If you wish to apply to the Scottish Stem Cell Research Fund, please contact Lil Shortland, Chief Executive on 0131 718 0684.

Support the Scottish Stem Cell Research Fund

By supporting the Scottish Stem Cell Research Fund, you can help to make a difference to the lives of millions of people who are affected by such devastating conditions as diabetes, Multiple Sclerosis, Parkinson’s, Alzheimer’s, arthritis, corneal blindness, stroke, heart and liver disease. Your support could help talented, world class researchers, scientists and clinicians to develop potential new treatments and therapies for some of our most devastating conditions. You would also be helping to create jobs, build the country’s economy and position Scotland as a world leader in this exciting field of medicine.

How Can You Help?

There are many ways in which you, your colleagues, friends and family can help. The Scottish Stem Cell Research Fund are asking their supporters and anyone with an interest in seeing this type of research reach its full potential, to help raise funds for research. This can be through a variety of ways, such as:

• Making a personal donation, and encouraging friends and family to make a donation

• Organising fundraisers, such as a charity auction

• Raising sponsorship – for example, we have booked places at the London Marathon and the Silverstone Half Marathon for enthusiastic runners who wish to help us raise funds

• Leaving a gift in your will

• Nominating the Foundation as your preferred charity

• Encouraging your employer to match the funds you raise.

The Scottish Stem Cell Research Fund are dependent upon the support of individuals, charitable trusts and companies to fund this important research.

As they are a registered charity, all donations attract tax relief, making each donation go 25% further.

If you would like to discuss any of these options in more detail, please contact them at info@ukscf.org or log on to www.ukscf.org