Scotland Sits at the Forefront of Stem Cell Sciences

Since the 1960s, the world of stem cell research has made many significant advances. Indeed, in an attempt to discover how stem cells can help with such things as the treatment of human diseases, many countries around the world have invested huge sums of money in furthering their knowledge on the subject.

It is thought that stem cells are present in most multi-cellular organisms. They are unique in the fact that they can renew themselves through cell division and thus develop into a number of different cell types within the body.

For example, when a stem cell divides, it can either stay a stem cell or change itself into another type of cell, such as a muscle, red blood or brain cell. Not only that, but they can also help to repair tissues and replenish other cells in both humans and animals. As a consequence, the stem cell sciences have been devoted to looking at ways in which stem cells can help people combat certain types of degenerative diseases.

Having established itself as a major centre of stem cell research over the years, Scotland currently sits at the forefront of the industry. Scotland's reputation can largely be attributed to the pioneering research that takes place on its shores. Breakthroughs such as the first ever successful animal cloning - an experiment carried out by Scottish scientists that saw the creation of Dolly the sheep and has since been heralded as one of the century’s biggest scientific achievements.

Additionally, Scotland is cited as carrying out more medical research per capita than any other country in Europe. The country’s capital, Edinburgh is seen as a major genomic and bioinformatics research centre and is said to possess one of the largest concentrations of clinical scientists and researchers in Britain. Consequently, the country is on course to break new ground in the world of cell biology and its biomedical applications.

For instance, Scotland is carrying out major stem cell research which looks at how they can be used to help in the fight against such diseases as Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, cancer, diabetes, multiple sclerosis and sight loss. The country has also led many groundbreaking research projects, which include the creation of the first ‘pure’ human brain stem cells, in volume, in the world.

There are many reasons as to why Scotland is in such a good position to pursue stem cell sciences. Firstly, the country has a long history in the field of life sciences and is currently home to more than 625 organisations and more than 31,000 employees who specialise in the industry.

It is also internationally recognised as being a significant contributor to stem cell research, with a number of specially-constructed laboratories, and is home to around 21% of all British biotechnology companies. Edinburgh, on the other hand, is the site of Europe’s biggest stem cell research community.