Wisconsin’s status as a stem cell leader was further cemented today by a ruling by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office awarding two stem-cell related patents to UW-Madison’s technology transfer arm, WARF (the Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation). The decision is final and will mean that Madison will be the center of American stem cell research for years to come.

The challenge to the patents stemmed from a debate over the role of UW professor James Thompson in the development of stem-sell science. The consumer groups challenging the patents claimed that anyone with access to materials and funding could have accomplished the same breakthroughs as Dr. Thompson. The Patent Office disagreed.

This victory for the University of Wisconsin brings with it responsibilities for us as tax-paying supporters of vital and ground-breaking research both at UW-Madison and at the Medical College of Wisconsin. If the road to better regenerative medicine is going to run through Wisconsin, the world will count on us to be the guardians of that road. We owe it to people across the world suffering from Parkinson’s, MS, Alzheimer’s and more to redouble our efforts to fully support and fully fund life-saving research.