San Francisco captured one of the hottest prizes in stem-cell research today. Shinya Yamanaka -- the man who transformed adult mouse skin cells into induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells, which display embryonic stem cell-like abilities -- has joined the Gladstone Institute for Cardiovascular Disease (GICD).
Deepak Srivastava, GICD's director, said in a press release that
“Gladstone will provide Shinya with the resources and facilities to
apply his research to human cells.” Yamanaka's work will not be funded by grants from Proposition 71 -- at least not inititally, according to Gladstone spokesperson Valerie Tucker -- allowing it to move forward without concern of whatever revenue-sharing agreement is finally reached.
Yamanaka's work, even if Proposition 71 money is involved, could avoid revenue-sharing nightmares altogether if they decide to offer licenses to other researchers for free. Doing so would mean they have no revenues from the work to share, but it would win them a lot of respect as it could provide a viable solution to the ongoing stem-cell patent dispute.
Of course, Yamanaka has to prove his method works with human cells first -- or find an alternate method -- but I doubt that will take long.
Opponents of embryonic stem-cell research are even supportive of this work. If it's successful before January 2009, embryonic stem-cell research could proceed in the event a Republican candidate wins the 2008 Presidential election.
Shinya Yamanaka, Japan's Leading Stem Cell Scientist, Joins the Gladstone Institutes [press release]
