Читать книгу The SAGE Encyclopedia of Stem Cell Research - Группа авторов - Страница 107

Australia has one of the most supportive stem cell research environments in the world, and researchers have made great strides in conducting innovative stem cell research and developing therapies for a host of diseases and conditions. In the early 1980s, Australian researchers were among the first in the world to use fertility drugs that led to live births. In 2001, the national government launched Backing Australia’s Ability, earmarking $3 billion for policy initiatives that included a new focus on stem cell research. In 2003, the government announced that it was investing $110 million over a 10-year period to establish Stem Cell Australia. That effort brought together experts from all of Australia to promote all aspects of stem cell research. In 2011, as funding for Stem Cell Australia reached the end of its cycle, the National Stem Cell Foundation of Australia was created to raise funds to continue the work begun by the government initiative.

While most Australians express support for using embryonic stem cells in research, the use of human embryonic cells remains controversial. In 2006, the government allotted an additional $22 million to establish the National Centre for Adult Stem Cell Research at the Eskitis Institute for Cell and Molecular Therapies at Griffith University in Queensland, bypassing the ethics debate. Professor Alan Mackay-Sim, an internationally recognized neurobiologist and expert on differentiating nasal stem cells, was appointed to head the facility, which focuses on developing stem cell therapies for neurological diseases and injuries.

In 2010, researchers were invited to apply for new competitive funding totaling $21 million. Local and regional stem cell organizations such as the NSW Stem Cell Network in New South Wales also contribute to the stem cell research community. Private and public foundations and biotech companies such as BresaGen Ltd, ES Cell International Pte Ltd, Norwood Abbey Ltd, and Stem Cell Sciences Pty Ltd are also engaged in various aspects of stem cell research.