The UK Stem Cell Bank: its role as a public research resource centre providing access to well-characterised seed stocks of human stem cell lines.

The rapidly expanding field of stem cell research offers the potential to develop therapeutic agents to treat diseases such as Parkinson's, diabetes and heart disease. It is important that stem cell lines derived from quality-controlled and well-characterised cell banks should be made available to both the scientific and clinical communities to promote high-quality research and development. The requirement in the United Kingdom (UK) for rigorous regulation of the procurement and use of embryonic stem (ES) cell lines led the UK government to fund the establishment of a national bank for stem cell lines. The UK Stem Cell Bank (UKSCB) hosted at the National Institute for Biological Standards and Control (NIBSC) is committed to working closely with the clinical and research communities to provide qualified stocks of human stem cell lines of adult, foetal and embryonic origin for both research use and for use in emerging human therapy.