Scotland has an outstanding reputation for scientific excellence, with its work in the life science field highly regarded worldwide. In recognition of this, the Scottish Government has identified the sector as a priority industry

Any new therapy in Regenerative Medicine will have to be tested in a clinical trial to show that it is safe, has few if any side-effects and is effective before being approved for use

With only a small number of stem cell treatments that have been shown to be effective in rigorous studies, our advice to patients before contemplating such treatments is to ensure that

Today, the market is estimated at $1.5bn and is dominated by a few large companies, however, there is an enormous amount of activity, with hundreds of new companies being formed

Conventional medicines rely on the intervention of the pharmaceutical industry, however, the commercial­isation route for regenerative medicine products is less well defined and may vary according to therapy.

The regulatory environment for stem cell research is evolving and is governed in the US by the FDA, in Europe by the EMA and in the UK by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA).