The first UK/US stem cell policy program following publication of the new National Institutes of Health (NIH) guidelines for human stem cell research, has been organised by the Science & Innovation Section of the British Consulate-General in partnership with the Science and Technology Policy Program at the James A. Baker III Institute for Public Policy and the TX/UK Collaborative.

The event, which will be held on Monday, September 14 at at the Baker Institute, Rice University, brings together leading experts from Texas and the UK to discuss the implications of current federal and state stem cell developments and how that might impact the research and lessons learned from the UK regulatory experience. The Obama administration tasked the NIH with development of new human stem cell research guidelines, which will be discussed for the first time in a UK-US forum since their publication in July 2009. The UK experts will highlight the regulatory and legislative experience in the UK that has helped to position the UK as a leader in stem cell research.

Texas has a high concentration of stem cell research and opportunities for translating science to the clinic via its medical institutions. The UK is keen to expand its collaborative relation with leading US institutions, such as those in Texas, and seek cures to diseases such as cancer, diabetes and altzheimers and share best practices on policy, regulation and governance.

Attending will be some of the UK's leading stem cell research policy and regulatory experts led by Lord Naren Patel, Chairman of the UK Steering Committee, Stem Cell Bank. Lord Patel is a high ranking member of the House of Lords' Science & Technology Committee and contributor to the highly success regulatory mechanism used by the UK to oversee all types of stem cell research.

Joining Lord Patel in the evening event will be Prof. Neal Lane, the Rice University Malcolm Gillis University Professor; senior fellow for science and technology policy at the Baker Institute; former science advisor to President Clinton; and director of the National Science Foundation. Prof. Lane will review US stem cell regulation over the past decade including the new NIH guidelines.

The policy panel and evening keynotes will be part of a larger conference run by the TX-UK Collaborative, which will run in the morning of Sept 14 and all day on 15th at the Baker Institute.

For more information on US or UK Stem Cell policy, please see:

UK Department of Health Guidance and policy on stem cell research:
http://www.dh.gov.uk/en/Publichealth/Scientificdevelopmentgeneticsandbioethics/Stemcell/index.htm

UK Medical Research Council Stem Cell page: http://www.mrc.ac.uk/Utilities/Search/MRC001941

NIH Guidelines: http://stemcells.nih.gov/

 

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