The new experiments reveal the remarkable degree of control that scientists have recently gained over the highly complex inner workings of living cells.
Stem cell research is a big endeavor at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, where James Thomson first isolated human embryonic stem cells.
Thomson’s work fueled a research effort on the UW campus that cuts across a wide range of departments and spurred the creation of WiCell Research Institute, which has trained scientists from around the world to work with the cells. Thomson’s work also led the Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation to secure three basic patents – the type that can be the underpinnings of whole new industries.