Scottish scientists are at the leading edge of stem-cell research that has the potential to change the course of medicine. They could be on the brink of discoveries that would allow far more effective treatment of conditions such as leukaemia, shattered bones, colon cancer, the growing epidemic of diabetes, and neurological afflictions such as multiple sclerosis. The promise of life-saving and life-enhancing treatment for millions of people as a result of such breakthroughs, however, is posing a challenge almost as taxing as the scientific ones: how to ensure the researchers involved are not poached by other academic institutions or commercial companies who can offer higher salaries and shares in eventual profits.

Scottish scientists are at the leading edge of stem-cell research that has the potential to change the course of medicine. They could be on the brink of discoveries that would allow far more effective treatment of conditions such as leukaemia, shattered bones, colon cancer, the growing epidemic of diabetes, and neurological afflictions such as multiple sclerosis. The promise of life-saving and life-enhancing treatment for millions of people as a result of such breakthroughs, however, is posing a challenge almost as taxing as the scientific ones: how to ensure the researchers involved are not poached by other academic institutions or commercial companies who can offer higher salaries and shares in eventual profits.

Much of the research remains theoretical, but the dangers are all too real. Edinburgh University has already lost Professor Austin Smith, "the father of stem-cell research", who was invited to set up a new centre in Cambridge. The prospect of a team of colleagues heading south in his wake was averted only by joint action by the then Scottish Executive and the research universities. It is, however, inevitable that world-class scientists are head-hunted by leading research institutions and global companies. They can not only offer attractive salaries but state-of-the-art research facilities, which is what will swing the balance for scientists at this level.

The suggestion from Sir Graeme Catto, president of the General Medical Council and a former chief scientist for Scotland, that a fund to prevent researchers being poached as soon as they make a breakthrough deserves to be thoroughly explored. One of the ways to ensure that the best scientists remain in Scotland is to establish a critical mass of genuine expertise. A vital beginning has been made with the Translational Medicine Research Collaboration, between the universities of Aberdeen, Dundee, Edinburgh and Glasgow, with Scottish Enterprise and the NHS.

The essence of translational medicine is that it goes from bench to bedside, so that laboratory findings are developed to treat disease. That must be encouraged if Scotland's increasing number of biotechnology companies are to realise their full potential to become a significant part of the economy. Already, major pharmaceutical companies, such as Wyeth, recognise that. Last year it bought over Haptogen, a company established to prevent scientists at Aberdeen University being sucked into the brain drain from Scotland to Cambridge and London. Such commercial collaboration can help prevent an exodus. International academic exchanges such as that established between Dundee and Singapore by Sir David Lane, the world-renowned expert who discovered one of the most significant genes behind cancer, can also help. But we must be prepared to help nurture the vital work of our scientists. Government funding is more tightly stretched than ever, but Sir Graeme's plea to benefactors is a timely one. As the stock markets fall, financial returns gain a new perspective and there can be few investments more satisfying than those that lead to a cure for disease.