Hong Kong is not renowned for its scientific excellence, yet there are doctors and scientists working here who are among the best in their fields in the world. The breakthrough in stem cell research announced at the University of Hong Kong yesterday was proof of that fact. The scientists used stem cells extracted from the bone marrow of nine patients suffering from heart disease to stimulate blood supply. Three months after the experiments were performed, the health of seven of the patients had improved. A similar study was carried out at the University of Rostock in Germany and similar hopeful results were recorded. The findings were published in the British medical journal the Lancet, a leading international forum for presentation of research. Using stem cells from bone marrow is an ingenious way of side-stepping the ethical issues associated with such work. The announcement that such cutting-edge work is being carried out by a Hong Kong team was surprising, but it should not have been. We have a solid international reputation for work in other scientific fields, such as bio-technology. Our doctors working in specialised areas such as organ diseases and eye disorders are among the best in the world. Other countries in the region - Singapore, Japan and Australia - allocate far more funding towards medical and scientific research than Hong Kong does. Little wonder their scientists and research facilities are better known. Singapore's government has been putting billions of dollars into medical institutions to build a global reputation for expertise in stem cell and cloning work. Last year, it attracted Britain's foremost cloning researchers, who had created Dolly the sheep. Such quantities of funding are sadly lacking in the SAR, yet we are still willing to do the research and capable of coming up with results. Tse Hung-fat's team of stem cell researchers at the University of Hong Kong are proof enough. The government and private enterprise would do well to use their influence and financial resources to help build on our expertise.