Drugs giant Pfizer has pledged to invest £40 million in a new stem cell research centre in Cambridge.

Around twenty scientists have already begun working at the unit in Granta Park, which opened last week, and the firm will recruit about twenty more researchers throughout next year.

Pfizer, the world's largest pharmaceutical company, will spend up to £40 million on the facility's research over the next five years. The centre's research will help develop treatments to prevent disability, repair failing organs and treat degenerative diseases.

Alastair Riddell, chief executive officer of Stem Cell Sciences, a Cambridge-based research firm, welcomed Pfizer's investment. "It's a big endorsement of the scientific credibility of the city and of the biotech cluster that we have at the moment," he told Varsity. "Clearly Pfizer looked at various possible locations for their regenerative medical unit to be sited and they've chosen Cambridge."

Ruth McKernan, Pfizer's chief scientific officer, said: "I'm very excited to lead this new research unit.

"While there is still a lot to understand about how stem cells can be used therapeutically, we believe it is one of the most promising areas of scientific research."

Stem cells are unspecialised cells with the capability to develop into cells with highly specialised functions. Scientists hope to harness this ability to allow them to test new medical treatments and repair damaged cells.

The UK has been seen as a world leader in stem cell research, partly due to funding restrictions imposed on American research in 2001 by George Bush. However, Barack Obama is committed to allowing state funding for research, and British scientists admit that the US is likely to overtake the UK in this area.

Pfizer's announcement forms part of a global $100m programme, Pfizer R egenerative Medicine, which will also see 30 researchers employed at a similar unit in Cambridge, Massachusetts. The British unit will focus on therapies for neural and sensorial disorders.

"Pfizer Regenerative Medicine represents a great opportunity to focus world-class research in a field that holds considerable promise for biomedical science and for the treatment of many debilitating conditions such as diabetes and neurodegenerative disorders," Rod MacKenzie, head of worldwide research at Pfizer, said in a statement.

The University might also benefit from the new research centre. Pfizer says it will work alongside academic researchers and biotech firms in Cambridge, with more details to be announced in the coming months. "A significant proportion of our research will be done through scientific collaboration," a spokesperson said. "Cambridgeshire ideally positions us in one of the strongest biotech regions in Europe. [Researching in Cambridge] will provide an innovative and specialised scientific base in a vibrant academic area."

Granta Park, a science research park to the south of Cambridge, is home to several medical research and biotech firms and is already the base for Pfizer's global drug delivery research. John Grainger, the park's managing director, said: "We are very pleased that Pfizer Regenerative Medicine has chosen Granta Park as its European home and look forward to working with the new team joining the already 2,000-strong park community."

Andrew Bellis