License to Heal
Stem cell researchers embrace technology transfer

As a postdoc in the Hopkins lab that created the first human embryonic germ cell lines, diabetes researcher Mike Shamblott witnessed firsthand the value of technology transfer. The research that produced those lines was funded by the biotech company Geron, which then licensed and manufactured them for profit. Shamblott, an assistant professor, is aware that some people find this sort of partnership between industry and academic scientists distasteful. But given current funding restrictions on stem cell research in the United States, such collaborations are increasingly essential, he says.