Note to users. If you're seeing this message, it means that your browser cannot find this page's style/presentation instructions -- or possibly that you are using a browser that does not support current Web standards. Find out more about why this message is appearing, and what you can do to make your experience of our site the best it can be.

Science 25 February 2000:
Vol. 287. no. 5457, pp. 1419 - 1421
DOI: 10.1126/science.287.5457.1419
Prev | Table of Contents | Next

News

The Business of Stem Cells

Eliot Marshall

Human stem cells have become one of the hottest areas in biotechnology as several companies have jumped in to try to exploit them commercially in medical therapies. Geron Corp. nabbed the early lead in exploiting embryonic and primordial fetal stem cells through its funding of their isolation; most of the other companies are working with adult stem cells, which pose fewer ethical problems because they can be obtained from sources other than embryos or aborted fetuses. Some of these companies are already moving their stem cell products into clinical trials, to use, for example, in restoring cancer patients' immune systems after intense radiation or chemotherapy. But no one yet knows which companies--if any--will win their high-stakes gamble on stem cells.

Read the Full Text

To Advertise     Find Products

Science. ISSN 0036-8075 (print), 1095-9203 (online)