The Influence of James Thomson

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One of the most prominent names in the field of stem cell research and development is that of James Thomson, a researcher from the University of Wisconsin. Recently, Thomson was named one of Time Magazine's "World's Most Influential People".
Thomson shares the spotlight with another in the group of 100 people of internationally recognised contributors who research, develop, and improve mankind; a man from Kyoto University named Shinya Yamanaka. According to the magazine, both men, leaders in stem cell research in the use of induced pluripotent stem cells to form various tissues found throughout the human body, avoided the use of human embryonic tissues in their newest research. Time magazine writes that Thomson and Yamanaka both realized that it's possible, "to give adult human cells many of the characteristics of embryonic stem cells, avoiding entirely the issue of whether embryos would be destroyed in the process."

Thomson, at the University of Wisconsin, was among the first to realise that various proteins and other factors had the capability to reprogramme adult human cells to behave and mimic embryonic stem cell features. Induced pluripotent stem cells can live for extended periods of time and maintain and develop a wide variety of tissues within the body.

While many of the steps and features of Yamanaka and Thomson's research are not clearly understood, either in the scientific community or by the general public, it is clear that the potential of Thomson's research and development of induced pluripotent stem cells will continue to benefit mankind.

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