Mattie McGrath (Tipperary, Independent)
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1050. To ask the Minister for Health the funding or support his Department has given to the pursuit of research related to induced pluripotent stem cells and their medical applications; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [24509/16]

Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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The Department of Health supports research in health through the Health Research Board (HRB). The HRB is a statutory body under the aegis of the Department of Health and is the lead agency in Ireland supporting and funding health research.

The HRB has informed me that it supports research on Mesenchymal stem cells and induced pluripotent stem cells. In the past ten years, it has invested over €6.5 million in research. This offers considerable therapeutic potential for the treatment of a number of often debilitating diseases. The therapeutic targets of this research include inter alia:

- Retinal disorders;

- Cancer;

- Nerve tissue repair;

- Crohn's Disease; and

- Sepsis.

Health research projects in Ireland, including those related to Mesenchymal stem cells and Pluripotent stem cells, can also take place in many other fora including universities and hospitals. Information on these research projects would not be routinely collected by my Department.