University of Cambridge

Both Professor Smith, director of the Wellcome Trust Centre for Stem Cell Research, and the University of Cambridge have played a pivotal role in stem cell research.

The University's Department of Genetics discovered stem cells' unique properties in the 1980s, a breakthrough that led to the principal researcher - Professor Sir Martin Evans - winning the 2007 Nobel Prize for Medicine.

As Professor Smith explains: "There are two remarkable things about these cells: they can make every other type of cell in the body; and when grown in the laboratory they retain that property, which means that they are invaluable tools for research."

It is the first of these remarkable properties - so-called pluripotency - that has fascinated Professor Smith throughout his research career.

"What my lab is interested in, and what has been our particular contribution to the field, is understanding how these cells are controlled and what makes them pluripotent," he says.

While other research groups work on stem cells' clinical applications, Professor Austin's focus is firmly on deepening our understanding of the basic biology of these extraordinary cells.

Only once we understand fully how they work, will we be able to realise their potential for treating human diseases.

"There is a perception among the public and politicians that stem cells are going to cure diseases by transplantation. This is a very ambitious goal. It may come true for one or two diseases but in general, at least over the next 10-20 years, the main contribution of stem cells is going to be in drug discovery and drug screening," he explains.

Motor Neurone Disease (MND) is a good example of stem cells' usefulness in studying both disease processes and drug development. Although some of the genes involved have been identified, scientists do not yet understand what causes MND.

"Animal models often don't help, and you can't experiment on people, so you need a laboratory system where you can produce cells of the tissues that go wrong in those patients," Professor Smith explains.

Stem cells are ideal for this because you can use them to make all sorts of other cells - motor neurones in the case of MND - and as they can be grown and multiplied in the lab forever, they offer researchers an endless supply of whatever cell it is they are interested in.

The Louis-Jeantet prize money will be invaluable for the Centre for Stem Cell Research, coming at a time when researchers are working to overcome a significant barrier in the field - the question of why pluripotent cells in mice and rats behave so differently to those in humans.

According to Professor Smith: "It's a problem that's slowing up the field at the moment, so this funding will help us investigate pluripotency in species other than mice and rats. It's a very basic question but the answer could have profound implications."

"At the moment, we think human stem cells are not the same 'blank slate' as stem cells in rodents. We think human stem cells don't all behave the same because they carry different molecular baggage. This makes the field difficult because things aren't consistent. If you can solve that problem you would have a standardised starting material. However, it could also be that the biology is in some way different - that's what we have to find out."

* Watch a video of Professor Austin Smith talking about 'Stem cells - overcoming the embryo' at a Cambridge Network event last year

Louis-Jeantet Foundation

Reproduced courtesy University of Cambridge Office of Communications