Policy, Ethics and Regulation Research
Beyond purely scientific and clinical research, a number of other organisations are involved in a variety of aspects of stem cell biology.
The PHG Foundation is an international, independent charity that works with partners to achieve better health through the responsible and evidence-based application of biomedical science. It aims to foster a social and regulatory environment receptive to the application of biomedical research for health and promote the development of systems and policies for the proper evaluation of new technologies that arise from biomedical research.
Many other groups, faculties and departments across the region also have interests in the social, ethical, policy and economic impact of stem cell research and its use in medicine. These include several groups which form part of the School of Medicine at the University of East Anglia, such as the Health Economics Group.
The Global Biopolitics Research Group was formerly based at the University of East Anglia and is now part of the Centre for Biomedicine and Society at King's College London. The group is headed by Professor Brian Salter, and is an interdisciplinary group of international researchers who share a common interest in Biopolitics, the vital political issues arising from the rapid development of the life sciences and new health technologies in the context of the global economy. The group have embarked on a major new project on the global politics of human embryonic stem cell research. The aim of the project is to identify the network of global political forces impacting upon the UK embryonic stem cell regulatory regime, to theorise their interrelationship and explore their implications for UK policy making. Further details can be found on the project website.
Relevant departments investigating medical research and society within the University of Cambridge include the Centre for Family Research and the Department of Social Anthropology.
