ESTOOLS - Advances with human embryonic stem cells - About ESTOOLS

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About ESTOOLS

ESTOOLS is the largest grouping of human embryonic and induced pluripotent stem cell researchers in Europe. Spanning 10 countries, the project brings together the combined expertise of 21 academic and commercial research teams.  

Our cutting-edge research programme will investigate the biology of human embryonic stem and induced pluripotent cells and the molecular circuitry that governs their differentiation into more specialized cell types. As our name suggests, we plan to develop the tools, techniques and expertise necessary for eventual medical, pharmaceutical and bioindustrial applications of human ES and iPS cell research. 

ESTOOLS' ethics programme, analysing the varying legal and ethical requirements for human ES cell research across European member states, is a core component of the project. It includes a programme of workshops to engage and inform legislators, decision-makers and other stakeholders.

Training and dissemination activities will help maximise the impact of our research, and grow a strong, competitive European base for human ES cell research.

ESTOOLS is funded under the European Union's Sixth Framework Programme.

An Integrated Project

ESTOOLS is an Integrated Project – a new kind of instrument set up by the European Union in the Sixth Framework Programme to “support objective-driven research, where the primary deliverable is new knowledge.”

Integrated projects should, according to the European Union, aim either to increase Europe's competitiveness or address major needs in society. ESTOOLS aims to do both – to build a strong scientific foundation for biotechnological and biopharmaceutical applications of human embryonic stem cell research, which will in turn, we hope, be applied to serious and complex medical problems.