Ireland's first Stem Cell Centre - NUI Galway

Culture of adult stem cells can help sufferers of arthritis, heart disease and diabetes.

Ireland's first stem cell manufacturing centre approved at NUI Galway.

Stem cells can be manufactured for human use for the first time in Ireland, following Irish Medicines Board licensing of a new facility at NUI Galway.  NUI Galway’s Centre for Cell Manufacturing Ireland aims to culture adult stem cells to tackle conditions such as arthritis, heart disease, diabetes and associated conditions.

The centre, which is one of less than half a dozen in Europe authorised for stem cell manufacture, has been developed by researchers at NUI Galway’s regenerative medicine institute.  The new centre’s director, Professor Tim O’Brien explained that the stem cells must be grown in the laboratory to generate sufficient quantities, following their isolation from the bone marrow of adult donors, and the facility will help Ireland to develop therapies for a broad range of clinical problems which do not have effective treatments today.

Stem cell research in Ireland is in what scientists have described as a “legislative lacuna”, but this relates to use of embryonic stem cells and does not in any way inhibit the use of adult stem cells, Prof O’Brien from the School of Medicine, explained.

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