When Dr. Jamie Thomson and his team announced their success in reverse-engineering adult skin cells back to the nascent blueprint, embryonic stem cells, I knew there’d be quite a stir.
At first blush, induced pluripotent stem cells (iPS) might be the answer to the ethical conundrum that has stalled federal support of embryonic stem cell research: some feel the “potential for life” (i.e. the small cluster of cells inside the pre-implantation blastocyst) should be afforded the same constellation of human rights and protections that our constitution guarantees an existing, human life.
Adult cells that can be bit-banged back to their defining-formula, may be the answer.
Though, “Is this an instance of genetic-engineering?” comes to mind immediately. Just think of the uproar a few years back concerning genetically-engineered milk! (rBGH – for those of you not from the dairy state).
I can see no end to the ethical, moral, and political debates, not mentioning hard, scientific questions that need answers:
what is “potential for life”? how should it be protected?
are reversed-engineered adult cells as good as newly minted cells from the blastocyst?
how will state and federal monies be divided up to study these approaches?
is the ‘life’ that is engineered through the iPS process ‘potential for life’?
can iPS be understood without understanding embryonic stem cells?
are all the scientists going to abandon embryonic stem cell research for iPS?
will politicians chicken out of formulating sound regulatory guidelines for embryonic and induced pluripotent stem cells? at state and federal levels?
Let’s hope the hoopla of the last few years is done, and we can move forward in both areas of stem cell research: induced pluripotent and embryonic stem cell research.
There are too many people, suffering from conditions and diseases that have nothing but the hope of a stem-cell therapy breakthrough on the horizon, to allow this to become a duel between two potentially breakthrough technologies.
The US Patent and Trademark Office has upheld the two remaining stem cell patents out of a contested trio held by the Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation (WARF), according to the final ruling posted last week by the USPTO.
The third patent was upheld in a ruling last month (read more here) and can still be challenged by appeal. Last week’s rulings are final and cannot be appealed.
“The patent office has conducted a thoughtful and thorough review of all three patents and we applaud this final decision on our two most important base stem cell patents,” Carl Gulbrandsen, managing director of WARF said in a statement.
The two patents are known as “780″ and “806″ (for US Patents. 5,843,780 and 6,200,806) and cover technology on culturing and maintaining human embryonic stem cells from pre-implantation embryos. This was the original work of James Thomson, from the University of Wisconsin, Madison, who led one of two research teams to successfully reprogram adult skin cells into pluripotent cells last November.
The three WARF patents have been under examination by the USPTO, beginning in October, 2006, when challenges were brought by the Public Patent Foundation in New York and the Foundation for Taxpayer and Consumer Rights (FTCR) in Los Angeles. The two organizations have argued that the patents impede stem cell research and that the technology they cover has been pioneered by other researchers before Thomson.
John Simpson, director of the stem cell project at FTCR, and Jeanne Loring, from the Public Patent Foundation, could not be immediately reached for this article.
UPDATE:
In regard to the decision on the patents, John Simpson told The Scientist: “This was already a huge victory for us on these patents. When they were confronted with our challenge last year, WARF substantially eased its licensing requirements. That change in behavior was tremendously useful for researchers.”
WARF made several amendments to the patent details last year.
While the ruling on the two patents is final, “we can appeal the decision on the 913 patent and we will,” Simpson added.
Madison to Host World Stem Cell Summit in September
Hundreds of the world’s top players in the field of stem cell research will gather in Madison for a summit in September.
Up to 1,000 researchers, philanthropists and business representatives are expected to attend the World Stem Cell Summit at the Alliant Energy Center on Sept. 22 and 23.
Genetics Policy Institute founder Bernard Siegel says he chose Madison to host the event because the city has been a launching pad for the field.
He says the event will coincide with the 10-year anniversary of University of Wisconsin-Madison scientist James Thomson becoming the first to isolate human embryonic stem cells.
Thomson will speak at the summit about a new technique in which ordinary skin cells can be turned into stem cells.
WEDNESDAY, March 12, 2008, 11:03 a.m. By Stacy Forster
UW to host stem cell summit this fall.
Madison – Wisconsin’s capital city will host an international stem cell research summit this fall, which will bring up to 1,000 of the world’s top researchers to Madison.
The World Stem Cell Summit, to be hosted by Wi Cell and the University of Wisconsin Stem Cell and Regenerative Medicine Center on Sept. 22 and 23, will mark the 10th anniversary of James Thomson’s isolation of human embryonic stem cells at UW-Madison.
Thomson is expected to give a keynote address about his latest breakthrough using human skin cells.
Gov. Jim Doyle, a major backer of the stem cell industry in Wisconsin, said the summit helps preserve Wisconsin’s place as a leader in stem cell research.
“In Wisconsin, we are working hard to build innovative centers, to turn research into life-saving treatments in every corner of the state,” he said in a news conference.
Madison beat out New York and Washington, D.C., to host the summit.
The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office upheld two of WARF (Wisconsin Alumni Association Foundation)-held stem cell patents this week.
The USPTO rejected claims from consumer groups that the discoveries were OBVIOUS given previous research, and thus not patentable.
The claims arose from two non-profit groups, Foundation for Taxpayer and Consumer Rights and the Public Patent Foundation, and argue that the patents hinder research.
Dr. James Thomson’s pioneering stem cell discoveries are patentable inventions.
