Stem-cell bank 'will be open within a year'

Britain's first stem-cell bank, which holds the potential to cure a host of diseases, could start operating within a year.

The bank, to be based in Hertfordshire, will be run by the National Institute for Biological Standards and Control under a £2.6m contract awarded by the Medical Research Council and announced yesterday.

Stem cells obtained from "surplus" embryos produced during IVF treatment and from adult cells will be stored and made available for research. Dr Stephen Inglis, director of the institute, said: "I would hope we would be in a position to start receiving cells within a year."

"Pro-life" groups and some scientists claim the scheme will lead to the large-scale destruction of human embryos. But the Department of Health defended the plans, saying they would provide researchers with accredited cell lines obtained in an ethical manner and with proper consent from donors.

Stem cells are known as the body's "mother" cells from which all other cells are derived. Because they have the potential to develop into any of the 120 specialised tissues in the body, doctors hope that injections of stem cells could be used to repair almost any organ, such as a liver damaged by hepatitis or a brain affected by Parkinson's disease.

Opponents of the bank have pointed to recent findings by some scientists that adult stem cells, such as those derived from bone marrow, could be induced to grow into different tissues in the same way as embryonic stem cells, obviating the need to harvest embryos. But the latest research suggests the capacity of these adult cells to regenerate tissue is limited and there is no realistic substitute for the embryonic variety.

Lord Hunt of Kings Heath, a Health minister, said: "The stem-cell bank will be the first of its kind in Europe and will ensure that the UK retains its international position in this exciting field, which promises to bring a revolution in health care."