Global update: England and Wales

Abstract

As Ben Sykes, an Executive Director of the UK National Stem Cell Network (UKNSCN), highlighted in his Brief History of Stem Cell Research, Funding and Regulation in the UK in last year's World Stem Cell Report, the UK ranks very high among the world leaders in stem cell research and regenerative medicine. Science funding has not been immune to the budget cuts and tough austerity measures that the British government implemented recently and deep cuts may force the country to lose its competitive edge in a number of research areas. However, in spite of such an environment, stem cell research and regenerative medicine has continued to thrive and have a strong impact worldwide. While one would expect to find stem cell research concentrated to key centers in Cambridge, London and Edinburgh, in fact there is exciting research going on across the country, as this report highlights.