Stemcell discoveries make great news stories, but their actual translation into routine clinical practice is still a major hurdle. Is it reasonable to expect the big pharmaceutical companies to manufacture these living therapies or is the paradigm shift from today’s drugs to ‘living cells as therapies’ overwhelming? Would McDonald’s ever put delicate soufflés on their fast-food menus? This lecture will use examples from current cell and tissue-engineered clinical therapies to illustrate the exciting challenge of translating great science into first-line therapies for everyone.Lecture given on 13th March 2007