Researchers in the Asia-Pacific region have historically tended to seek collaborations with laboratories in North America and Europe, rather than with other scientists working in the region. The potential benefits of developing such intraregional collaborations, however, are obvious. This is nowhere more evident than in stem cell research, a field in which numerous countries in Asia and Oceania have achieved world-class results or initiated preliminary clinical studies of therapies utilizing stem or progenitor cells. Generally permissive legislation, generous funding, and strong support from the media and the public at large have combined to bring the region to parity with the West in such promising areas of study as human embryonic stem cells, reprogramming and somatic cell nuclear transfer.

As part of a celebration of the 20th anniversary of Nature's presence in the region, Nature Publishing Group sponsored a conference on networking within the Asia-Pacific region on June 6th. It included a workshop for stem cell scientists.

Discussion in this session focused on practical, near-term ways to share human and material resources within the region, and to foster and maintain collaborative research by stem cell biologists in the Asia-Pacific region. Perhaps the most notable outcome was the consensus among panelists and participants on the need for an Asia-Pacific stem cell research organization capable of consolidating the region's meeting calendar, facilitating the exchange and training of personnel across borders, harmonizing regulations governing basic and clinical research, and supporting the development of shared repositories for biological resources. [Though Nature Publishing Group hosted the meeting and invites other scientists and scientific administrators in the region to post information on our stem-cell blog, The Niche, it is not officially sponsoring a regional network.] Attendees to the session came from countries across the region, including Australia, China, India, Japan, South Korea, Taiwan, Thailand and Iran. The session opened with short talks focused on specific issues from each country represented by a panelist.

Xiangzhong (Jerry) Yang, director of the Center for Regenerative Biology at the University of Connecticut in the United States, stressed Asia's political and religious advantages for human stem cell science. A proposal under consideration by the Chinese government would create a network of regenerative medicine institutes with an international oversight committee to guarantee transparency, trust, and compliance with established ethical standards. Though no timeline has been established, key Chinese officials have endorsed the proposal, and Yang is working with universities and agencies within China and the West to establish funding and organization. He imagined that, once established, the institutes could serve as a model in other countries.

Shin-Ichi Nishikawa, deputy director of the RIKEN Center for Developmental Biology, described efforts for launching a national stem cell research forum in Japan, and described existing pan-Asian scientific groups such as the Asia-Pacific Developmental Biology Network, which provides intraregional travel grants to young scientists and supports the collaborative development of mutant mouse resources by labs in the region. He described most current collaborations as “bottom-up”, initiating with personal connections between individual researchers, and argued that the region now needs “top-down” initiatives similar to those found in the European Union. He proposed that regional governments fund a committee that would function independently to promote research projects and initiate projects such as scientific conferences and training camps.

Dong-Wook Kim, director of the Stem Cell Research Center in Korea, described his government's plan to develop core technologies for stem cell research and to move into clinical and industrial applications. In the aftermath of the cloning scandal, Korea is continuing its plan to spend over $450 million on stem cell science over the next ten years while revising laws for bioethics and safety. An embryonic stem cell banking initiative for over 40 hESC lines is underway. South Korea hopes to register some of these lines to an international stem cell registry and already has five international GMP facilities.

John Yu, director of the Stem Cell Program at the Genomics Research Center and at the Institute of Cellular and Organismic Biology at Academia Sinica in Taiwan, described the Taiwan Society for Stem Cell Research, which is sponsoring an international symposium series. Taiwan has developed strategic plan for stem cell research to promote focused areas of research and international collaborations. In addition, he described Taiwan's stem cell research ethical regulations, which follow those of the International Society for Stem Cell Research, as well as national infrastructure, such as the Taiwan Stem Cell Repository, that supports research.

Surapol Issaragrisil, head of the Division of Hematology and director of the Bone Marrow Transplant Center with Siriraj Hospital and Mahidol University in Thailand, coordinates stem cell research under the support of the Thailand Research Fund. He described clinical applications of stem cell therapy within Thailand, including injections for stroke, diabetic ulcers, angina, and other maladies. Such treatments are being offered both to Thai and foreign patients, often in private hospitals. Issaragrisil called for better ways to balance the needs of patients and the promotion of early treatments, both by developing guidelines and by educating patients and physicians.

D. Balasubramanian, chair of the Stem Cell Task Force of India's Department of Biotechnology and director of research at the L.V. Prasad Eye Institute. His institute has cultured limbal stem cells into corneal epithelium, and transplants have restored some vision to over 400 patients. He described ways to harmonize guidelines across countries. He said that India has particular advantages in stem cell research: clinicians are enthusiastic about trying experimental therapies, the guidelines and regulations are clear, and agencies are proactive in clearing hurdles. Additionally, research is clustered in ways that promote domestic collaboration, and clinician-scientist joint research projects are encouraged. India also has international collaborations with Taiwan, the Philippines, Singapore, Korea, Japan, Australia, and other countries.

A successful network must recruit powerful sponsors, particularly politicians, who can secure funding and lobby for other support.

Alan Trounson, professor at Monash Immunology and Stem Cell Laboratories in Australia, advocated creating a regional network and detailed strategies to make it effective. In particular, a successful network must recruit powerful sponsors, particularly politicians, who can secure funding and lobby for other support. A network should also work actively to manage controversy by facilitating outreach to the general public, by anticipating possible problems (such as in intellectual property or clinical research), and by maintaining scientific integrity. Coordinating regional conferences could mean less wasted travel time and costs, and a powerful network could attract more global conferences to the region.

  1. 1

    Explore a regional society or a chapter of ISSCR; appoint a Steering Committee

  2. 2

    Establish a web group to define shared regional resources priorities

  3. 3

    Seek financial support for regional organisation

  4. 4

    Discuss with Peter Andrews linkage with International Stem Cell Forum

The open discussion following the panelists' brief presentations highlighted the assembled researchers' interests in cell and tissue banking and the creation of training opportunities for young scientists. The regulatory environments in several Asian countries make it possible to collect fetal and placental tissues relatively more simply than can typically be done in the West, which was cited as a potential strength to be developed. It was also suggested that any banking activity should focus first on clinically important resources, which are already being collected albeit not on an international scale. One role for a regional stem cell organization would be to promote the development of standards for the collection, characterization and maintenance of such biological resources. Similarly, the role of an intraregional network in developing programs for the next generation of stem cell researchers was emphasized, as the funding situation in countries such as China and Korea has created a demand for qualified research staff that currently far exceeds the available supply. Given the expense and visa-related issues associated with travel, one recommendation was to open Summer School programs that would bring experts into countries where demand is high, rather than requiring students to travel overseas.

The proceedings of the rest of the conference are soon to be published as an insert in Nature and will be available on www.nature.com

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