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Multi-Million Upgrade For Stem Cell Research Centre

Work has begun on a £3.8m upgrade of fertility services and stem cell research facilities at Newcastle’s Centre for Life.

The investment, under the banner of Science City, includes clean room laboratories, purpose-designed for stem cell research, which will provide a contamination-free environment where ‘clinical grade’ cells can be produced, bringing the treatment of patients a step closer. The new facilities are being built using a £9.8m Science City grant from One NorthEast, aimed at making the North East one of the world’s top ten centres for stem cell research by 2010. Details of the grant were announced last December.

The money will help to create two world class facilities - one in the Newcastle Fertility Centre at Life, run by the Newcastle-upon-Tyne Hospitals NHS Trust and an adjacent stem cell laboratory occupied by Newcastle University scientists. Alan Clarke, Chief Executive of One NorthEast, said: “This is good news for the region and for the development of Science City as the Institute of Stem Cell Biology and Regenerative Medicine is recognised as one of the five UK centres of excellence in this exciting new area of life science and healthcare.

We appreciate the successful pioneering work done by Newcastle University and other regional partners in this scientific and clinical field and we look forward to working with them on this project in the future.“

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Ruth Mitchell .