A MAJOR inter-active exhibition demonstrating the power of stem cells is under way in the North-East.

Newcastle’s Centre for Life is hosting a unique “hands-on” showcase for all demonstrating the power of our body’s master cells.

The “Super Cells: The Power Of Stem Cells” exhibition – which runs until April 19 - uses interactive displays to help explain everything from where disease comes from, to how a lizard grows a new tail.

The Cell Therapy Catapult, a national body which promotes stem cell research, commissioned the exhibit as part of a global public education programme which will have the exhibit displayed in key locations around the world to demonstrate the continuing revolution in biotechnology.

Keith Thompson, CEO of the Cell Therapy Catapult, said: “We’re proud not only to help fund the building of this fantastic exhibit, but also help bring it to the UK where families can learn how cells have the potential to provide new treatments to help cure diseases and conditions as diverse as blindness, diabetes and cancer.

“We’re delighted that the Centre for Life in Newcastle is hosting this exhibit to help people understand how this important area of science will help the health and wealth of the country for generations to come.”

The exhibition was conceived and built by Canada’s Stem Cell Network and the Sherbrooke Museum of Nature and Science. The planning and production spanned nearly two years, and included consideration of what children are taught in school as well as their natural curiosity.

Animations, touch-screen displays, videos and stunning images are part of the colourful exhibit. Each of the four sections has a specific area of focus, whether introducing the concept of a cell, to explaining how stem cells form the body from fertilisation to birth and beyond, to showing where stem cells live in the body’s tissues and organs