Two leading research bodies in the UK are to launch a national public debate on stem cell research.

Sponsored by the UK Government, the GBP 300,000 (€ 445,000) programme will be run by the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC) and the Medical Research Council (MRC).

The aim is to provide a platform through which the public can air its views and concerns over this area of science. Scientists will also participate in the debate, raising awareness about how this research is carried and how it might lead to potential therapies.

The debate will also help build trusting relationships between the scientists and the public.

Colin Blakemore, the MRC Chief Executive explained that, scientists who work on stem cells want to ensure that they should maintain the trust and support of the public for their research, and to achieve this, it is required to explain what work is being carried out and why it’s being done, i.e. to make sure that people are aware of the possibilities of research, what it’s realistically likely to achieve, and, above all, the importance of meticulous and careful research that takes ethical issues into account.

The public dialogue programme will start in the next few months with the recruitment of a commissioning group, followed by an official launch in autumn 2007.

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