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Lord of the Rings director Peter Jackson and his wife Fran Walsh have donated $500,000 to an American university for stem cell research.
It will establish a scholars fund to support stem cell research by two University of California students for four years each. The university is using stem cells to restore limited movement in paralysed rats.
Jackson says he has lost loved ones to Parkinson's disease and cancer and has chosen to fund the research because of the hope it gives to cure such diseases.
University of California associate professor, Hans Keirstead, says the money will address the lack of funding for students wanting to work with human stem cells.
New Zealand researchers say that sort of money could help their cause.
"I'm not upset, I think it's an opportunity - an opportunity to
tell New Zealand's story about stem cell research and what's going
on here," Wellington scientist Mike Berridge says.
He is involved with research looking at how some stem cells can
cause cancer.
Berridge says there is a little public awareness and he does not really blame Jackson for investing overseas.
Jackson could not be contacted about why he chose to invest offshore, but he has said publicly he believes the California research is nothing short of remarkable and that he believes it has the potential to revolutionize modern medicine.
