In the mid-1990s, James A. Thomson of the University of Wisconsin helped launch the field of regenerative medicine by isolating embryonic stem cells and perfecting methods for self-perpetuating them in a laboratory.
Thomson’s work helped fuel the current push to study these cells, understand how they function and see if they can help cure spinal cord injuries, juvenile diabetes and other diseases. While Thomson deserves historic credit for his contributions, his university should not be allowed to own a patent on these cells, limiting how they can be used, by whom and at what cost.