A collaboration surrounding stem cell categorization, distribution and possible funding for joint research projects has been signed between the University of Massachusetts Human Stem Cell Bank and Registry and the United Kingdom Stem Cell Bank, according to a report in Mass High Tech.

The signing took place in Hertfordshire, England during Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick’s Innovation Economy Partnership Mission 2011, which has been touring Israel and Europe to drum up collaborations between researchers and companies in those areas and Massachusetts, primarily in the life sciences.

The two stem cell banks plan to share best practices for stem cell banking and to collaborate on standards for stem cell line characterization, production and distribution in the U.S. and the U.K.

The UMass Human Stem Cell Bank and Registry was proposed in 2007 and established in 2008, with funding from the $1 billion Life Sciences Act.  The registry started officially offering its seven stem cell lines to researchers working on treatments for cancer, Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease and juvenile diabetes in 2011.