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The USA is the leading global player in the biotechnology industry yet it has no national strategy on stem cell science: a field that many regard as the platform for regenerative medicine and one of the most promising of emerging health technologies. Does this matter? For the most part, national policies on stem cell science are driven by the twin political emotions of ambition and fear: ambition that a state should benefit from the global economic potential of the field; fear that rivals will get there first. Given the long-term economic and health advantages that stem cell science may deliver for their citizens, governments are reminded that should they choose to ignore the promise of stem cell science they may find themselves portrayed as irresponsible if they neglect their citizens'' future welfare. Furthermore, it is argued, if other countries profit from an early mover commitment to the stem cell field, less prescient states will find it too late to catch up. Finally, ethical issues relating to embryonic stem cells and their application to research and therapeutic applications have attracted limited government and industry investment in the USA, providing other countries such as the UK with ''early mover'' advantages. This has not been the case, however, in the research and therapeutic application possibilities for adult (somatic) stem cells, where the USA is a world leader.
From this perspective, strategic state leadership, such as that provided by the UK in its 2005 Pattison Report, is seen as a necessary launch pad for the achievement of national advantage [1]. Here, the UK set out a 10-year strategy for the development of stem cell research, therapy and technology dealing with state investment, the organization of science, venture capital (VC), public--private alliances, public engagement and regulatory issues such as those connected with human embryo research, product development and intellectual property rights. The Report argued that such a strategy is essential if the UK is ''to consolidate its current position of strength in stem cell research and mature ...... into one of the global leaders in stem cell therapy and technology'' [2]. It is assumed that strategic UK leadership in the organizational, ethical and regulatory domains of government will generate a momentum attractive not just to domestic researchers but also...