Most recently, a team led by Prof Suh Yoo-hun at Seoul National University and Ra Jeong-chan, head of RNL Stem Cell Research Institute have experienced some early successes in developing a stem cell therapy for Alzheimer's. This team is working with fat-derived stem cells and is aiming to bring out this therapy by 2016. Besides, the government is Korea is extending great support at the policy and the infrastructure level. In my earlier column, I had mentioned about the "stem cell bill" that is coming up in Korea. In October, the country launched its National Stem Cell Bank, a first of its kind initiative that will manage domestic stem cell lines and collaborate with overseas researchers for the same. This bank will come into existence by 2015.

Both countries are moving with speed and in the process taking us closer to stem cells cures and pooling in all the knowledge that is there on stem cell so far. It's time to cheer for Japan and South Korea both!!