President Barack Obama is expected to sign an executive order on Monday reversing restrictions on federal funding of human embryonic stem-cell research.
In Madison, where the cells were first derived in 1998 by University of Wisconsin-Madison researcher James Thomson, the long-expected move should expand stem-cell research even as it diminishes the use of Thomsonâ??s cells nationwide, a campus scientist said.
“The demand for (Thomsonâ??s) cells will decrease,” said Dr. Tim Kamp, co-director of the universityâ??s Stem Cell and Regenerative Medicine Center. “But this will allow us to use stem-cell lines that were derived under more optimal conditions.”