LONDON — With 151 million people worldwide now affected by diabetes — approximately one in 20 of the population — the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation (JDRF) is determined to optimize research efforts. "We want to cure Type one diabetes and so we'll fund the very best research, wherever it occurs," explained Robert Goldstein, chief scientific officer for the US organization. "When it comes to stem cell research, the UK is ahead of the curve."
Goldstein's comments followed the recent announcement that the Foundation, a charity that funds research into insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus, has agreed to provide support for embryonic stem cell research in the UK in the hope that it will provide the breakthrough on diabetes that medicine is waiting for. The funding — the amount has yet to be disclosed — will help to pay for the development of cells lines to be maintained in the world's first stem...