BioWorld International Correspondent

OTTAWA, Ontario - Given the fact that stem cells play a critical and essential role in the human body, providing the starting material for every organ and tissue, and their enormous promise in the development of new therapies, the Canadian federal government is investing just over C$21 million (US$13.3 million) to establish the Stem Cell Genomics and Therapeutics Network (STEMnet).

This initiative becomes the eighth health and biotechnology-related Network of Centres of Excellence (NCE) funded by the government.

NCEs are partnerships among industry, universities and government designed to connect research with industrial know-how and practical investment. The NCE program has been operating for 10 years and was made permanent by the federal government in 1997, with an annual budget of C$47.4 million. In 1999, the government said the NCE budget would be increased by C$90 million over the ensuing three years.

Brian Tobin, minister of Industry who is responsible for the NCEs, said, "STEMnet's establishment underscores our commitment to ensure that we innovate, compete and lead in the increasingly knowledge-based global economy. Indeed, Canada is doubling its investment in R&D by 2010 to help Canada become among the top five most research-intensive nations in the world."

This latest investment follows a C$750 million investment in the Ottawa-based Canada Foundation for Innovation (CFI) to boost research capacity at Canadian research institutions. The investment also builds on earlier commitments to allow the CFI to begin supporting operating costs of new research infrastructure (C$400 million) and Canadian participation in world-leading international research projects (C$100 million).

Ronald Worton, a University of Ottawa professor and scientific director of the STEMnet, said the scientific focus will be on diseases that might be amenable to stem cell repair and regeneration, including muscular dystrophy, retinal degeneration leading to blindness, Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, arthritis, diabetes and osteoporosis.

He leads more than 50 researchers from universities located in the provinces of Alberta, British Columbia, Ontario, Quebec and Nova Scotia who will explore cell research and therapeutics. Worton also expects STEMnet to lead in the examination of the social and ethical dimensions of stem cell technology. STEMnet's board of directors will develop a process and define social and ethical criteria by which it will evaluate, select and terminate its projects. STEMnet also will abide by the guidelines being developed by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research ad hoc working group on stem cell research.