International Stem Cell Networks: The Power of Contacts

Abstract

Without a sizeable income, maintaining a network can be tough. When asked what the cornerstone to a network’s success is, Michael Rudnicki is unequivocal: “It helps to be able to fund research.” Networks that are able to only hold events and workshops can only go so far in attracting members and encouraging them to get involved. “Our model gives us the ability to walk the walk,” he says, referring to the Canadian Stem Cell Network.His ambitious vision for the future of the International Consortium of Stem Cell Networks is that it will be able to fund joint research projects around the world, in the same way that the Canadian network funds domestic research. The problem, he laments, is that there has been a falling off of “international funding for research across the board around the world.”The New York Stem Cell Foundation, an independent research institute that has 45 people working in its own laboratory and also supports external scientists, is an example of one kind of network that has focused its resources almost exclusively on funding research. Susan Solomon, the foundation’s Chief Executive Officer, explains that this activity is especially important in stem cell research because it’s an area that has been “neglected and underfunded by the traditional funding mechanisms,” such as large government grants. It means they are able to continue research even if national policies on stem cell research change.Collaboration is the keystone to making this New York model successful. “We work closely with a number of different stem cell and research networks,” including “the International Society for Stem Cell Research, the Canadian Stem Cell Network, the California Institute of Regenerative Medicine, the Center for Commercialization of Regenerative Medicine, and the Alliance for Regenerative Medicine,” says Solomon.Her advice for others hoping to start a similar network is, “to build a robust advisory board consisting of the leading experts in your field and to discuss with them what is needed to be successful in your chosen goals and where opportunities and possible advancements lie.”Of course, networks and clubs can still thrive without money. Despite the importance of funding to the survival of so many national stem cell networks, the RIKEN Center’s Stem Cell Club in Japan proves that, where there is a strong desire for researchers to meet, anything is possible. Hironobu Fujiwara says that the secret is to, “find cooperators who are motivated, prepared to make great sacrifices, and can share values.”