Britain opens world's 1st national stem cell bank

POTTERS BAR, England -- Britain opened the world's first national stem cell bank Wednesday, hoping to establish a lead in promising but controversial medical research.\nCiting the "tremendous potential" of stem cells, Health Minister Lord Norman Warner said, "We expect to bring breakthroughs in the understanding and treatment of disease."\nStem cells are master cells that turn into every kind of human tissue and scientists believe they could be used to replace diseased cells in people suffering from spinal cord injury, diabetes, Parkinson's disease and other ailments.\nBritain was the first nation to authorize the cloning of human embryos to produce stem cells for research.\nThe cell bank was established at the National Institute for Biological Standards and Control at Potter's Bar, 12 miles north of London. Located on a quiet country lane, its mission is to store and grow cells and distribute them to researchers worldwide.\nThe first two human embryonic stem cell lines -- collections of identical cells -- to be placed in the bank were developed separately by researchers at King's College London and the Center for Life in Newcastle, England.\nProfessor Alison Murdoch, from the Newcastle center, said the central database would enable fast research work and ensure that all stem cells came from ethical sources.\nThe bank will also accept stem cells from fetal and adult sources.\n"Stem cell research is still at a very early stage," said Dr. Glyn Stacey, the manager of the bank. "It is very important that there is a facility which can be in a position to provide ready access to good quality, well characterized stem cells."\nRegulations on cloning and stem cell research vary across Europe and around the world. The European Parliament last year voted to ban the creation of human embryos for research and to restrict stem-cell research. The policy is not binding, however, a European Union policy would require the agreement of member governments.\nIn the United States, researchers can use federal money to study only human embryonic stem cells that come from cell lines in existence by Aug. 9, 2001, when President Bush announced the policy. Many scientists have said additional cell lines are needed. In March, researchers announced they had used private money to create 17 new such lines.\nStem cells can be found in adult tissue, but so far research indicates they may not be as versatile as those found in embryos.\nExtracting the cells from embryos created by cloning a cell from a patient would in theory ensure a perfect tissue match, bypassing the problem of the immune system's rejection.\nThe remains of such cloned early embryos would be discarded after the stem cells are removed.\n"Stem cell research has great potential to alleviate suffering," Warner said. "Therefore we believe that research on human embryo stem cell lines should go ahead in countries like the U.K. which have achieved national consensus and have put in place strong regulatory regimes."\nStacey said bank officials were still considering whether researchers would be charged for access to the stem cells.\nLIFE, an anti-abortion charity, opposes the new stem cell bank, calling the use of human embryos as a tissue source "unethical, unnecessary and dangerous"