By Brian E. Clark
WisBusiness.com
Special To Channel 3000

State leaders reacted positively Tuesday to news of a breakthrough in stem cell technology by University of Wisconsin-Madison scientists that might eliminate ethical objections because it does not require the destruction of human embryos to create self-replicating cells.

Several said the advance -- which came out of the lab run by stem cell pioneer Jamie Thomson -- could lead to new Badger State jobs in companies seeking to find news ways to treat disease.

Thomson's team members said they were able to genetically reprogram human skin cells to create cells that are indistinguishable from embryonic stem cells.

And R. Alta Charo, a UW-Madison professor of law and bioethics, said the discovery could be a game-changing event that may have far-reaching effects on the social dimensions of the ongoing controversy over embryonic stem cell research.

"This is a method for creating a stem cell line without ever having to work through, at any stage, an entity that is a viable embryo," Charo said in a statement. "Therefore, you manage to avoid many of those debates with the right-to life community."

Gov. Jim Doyle also praised the announcement. He said he is optimistic about the breakthrough, which he said underscores the need to build major research facilities in Wisconsin.

"I think everybody recognizes in the next five, 10, 15 years the face of medicine will change," he said at a press conference. "It's a great thing obviously to help with the research that will improve the lives of millions and millions of people in the world."

Jim Leonhart, executive vice president of the state’s Biotechnology and Medical Device Association, said he was elated by the news.

"A significant social issue is on the verge of being resolved so that novel research on potential cures and tissue restoration can continue," he said. "We have always felt there was great potential in stem cell research. This is a great day because Wisconsin is once again demonstrating its leadership in this area.

"Now, if the political and legal constraints for researchers can be avoided, there will be more laboratories in our universities and companies that could use newly available lines to spur medical progress," Leonhart said.

Tom Still, president of the Wisconsin Technology Council, agreed that the UW-Madison breakthrough -- which was backed up by a similar announcement Tuesday by scientists in Japan -- might alter the stem cell research playing field and bring new jobs to the state.

"Human embryonic stem cell research has the potential to greatly improve the human condition, as well as contribute to the Wisconsin economy," he said.

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