President Barack Obama’s order lifting restrictions on human embryonic stem cell research was cheered Monday at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, the birthplace of the field.
UW-Madison scientists said the order will mean more cells and funding for studies, fewer bureaucratic hurdles for scientists and greater student interest in entering the field.
UW-Madison scientist James Thomson was the first to isolate human embryonic stem cells in 1998. He called Obama’s action “a welcome milestone.”