It's amazing that more than 10 years have already passed since Dr. Thomson's discovery of the human embryonic cell. Here is a brief interview with him.
From Stem Cells Magazine
Celebrating 10 Years of hESC Lines: An Interview with James Thomson by
Miodrag Stojkovic, Susan Rainey Daher
Dr. James Thomson received a B.S. in biophysics from the University of Illinois in 1981, a doctorate in veterinary medicine from the University of Pennsylvania in 1985, and a Ph.D. in molecular biology from the University of Pennsylvania in 1988. His doctoral thesis involved genetic imprinting in early mammalian development, after which he undertook postdoctoral studies at the Primate In Vitro Fertilization and Experimental Embryology Laboratory at the Oregon National Primate Research Center. Dr. Thomson joined the University of Wisconsin-Madison in 1990 and served as chief pathologist at the Wisconsin National Primate Research Center from 1995 to 2002.
Today, Dr. Thomson is the John D. MacArthur Professor of Anatomy at the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health and an adjunct professor in the Department of Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology at the University of California, Santa Barbara. In addition, he is Director of Regenerative Biology at the Morgridge Institute for Research in Madison, Wisconsin, and he is a member of the National Academy of Sciences. He was named one of the 100 most influential people in the world in 2008 by Time Magazine.
Dr. Thomson's many research achievements include the derivation of the first embryonic stem cell (ESC) lines from primates in 1995 (Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 1995;92:7844?7848) and the derivation of the first ESC lines from human blastocysts in 1998 (Science 1998;282:1145?1147). This month we are celebrating the 10th anniversary of the second of these landmark achievements, which has led to the explosion of research in the field of stem cells today. STEM CELLS talked with Dr. Thomson to look back on the last 10 years and to look forward to the future.
The Discovery
At the Wisconsin Regional Primate Research Center in 1995, Dr. Jamie Thomson was taking on the bold task of studying primate embryonic stem cells. He could foresee how potentially important these cells would be, even though hardly anyone else was interested at the time. The research was risky, was difficult to get funding for, and took longer than a typical tenure-track position would allow. He was able to do this research only because in addition to his Ph.D. training he had trained as a veterinary pathologist, and he maintained a position serving as the Chief of Pathology at the Wisconsin Primate Center. When his laboratory published the first paper deriving ESC lines from primates in 1995 (Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 1995;92:7844?7848), no one really took notice. "In a sense, this was the more important paper, since people didn't know yet if the production of ESCs was even possible outside of rodents," Thomson points out. But the world finally did take notice 3 years later, in November 1998, when his laboratory was the first to publish the derivation of ESC lines from human blastocysts (Science 1998;282:1145?1147).
"It's Been Surprising to Me How Long the Publicity Has Lasted over the Last 10 Years"
After Thomson's breakthrough paper in 1998, stem cells quickly became one of the most popular and talked-about areas of research, both inside and outside the scientific community. "It's been surprising to me how long the publicity has lasted over the last 10 years. I thought there would be a big response initially, but that it would only last about 6 months and then people would move on to other things." The publicity doesn't seem to be dying down, but thankfully, some of the controversy surrounding the work is. Thomson believes that the early controversy surrounding ESCs has somewhat hindered the field, having financial implications and possibly discouraging young scientists from entering the field. However, this seems to be changing, due in part to the advent of induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells, as well as increased public awareness and education. But we need to do more to involve and educate the public about what is really going on in the laboratory and what it means to medicine. "It's still clearly a hot topic news story, but then you see in polls that the public still really has no idea what these cells are or where they come from."
"I Believe That There Are Going to Be Some Practical Applications, but Only ... After Hard-Fought Years in Development"
Thomson believes that, ultimately, the biggest value of ESCs will be the access they give us to study the human body, as opposed to specific practical applications. "I believe that there are going to be some applications in transplantation medicine, but that they will be few and far between, and will only be successful after many hard-fought years in development. In some cases we might want to transplant these cells, but I think there will be some eerie parallels to gene therapy. Recombinant DNA technology has been useful to us more because of its value as a research tool than for its use in gene therapy. It has changed many things about medicine today, without us actually putting genes into people. In the same way, I think the value of ESCs has much more to do with basic research than as a therapeutic modality."
iPS Cells Will Ultimately Converge with ESCs
In Thomson's view, iPS cells will ultimately converge with ESCs, since they are so similar and it is so difficult to tell them apart. But again, he notes, they will likely be most useful as model systems. In addition, the ability to control the genetic background of these cells should greatly enhance our ability to research drug development. But whether using ESCs or iPS cells, the major problem with any treatment is still getting the stem cells to integrate in a way that specifically repairs the necessary tissue. "I think there will be some eerie parallels to gene therapy. I think that scientists will likely migrate over to iPS cells since they don't have all of the baggage that ESCs do.
"I think there will be some eerie parallels to gene therapy."
People still have to figure out how to make them efficiently without having vectors in there, but I think that this will be happening in the very near future."
As for the future of stem cell research, Thomson envisions that an important area in the next 5 years will be with people trying to reprogram between cell types?that is, going sideways rather than backward with respect to differentiation. "People are starting to publish on this now, and it certainly makes a lot of sense for regenerative medicine." The future of stem cell research will, of course, rely on the next generation of scientists in the field. Thomson's early work shows that it is important for young scientists to find something they truly enjoy and believe is important and to follow their own path, even if the rest of the world doesn't seem interested at the time and even if it means taking unusual or alternative approaches. He also points out the necessity for young people to find a good mentor and for senior Principal Investigators to act as these mentors, teaching and inspiring the next generation of stem cell researchers. "It takes a very unique individual to be there at the right time, who actually cares about you as a student. It's difficult, but very important to find someone like that."
From Stem Cells Magazine
Celebrating 10 Years of hESC Lines: An Interview with James Thomson by
Miodrag Stojkovic, Susan Rainey Daher
Dr. James Thomson received a B.S. in biophysics from the University of Illinois in 1981, a doctorate in veterinary medicine from the University of Pennsylvania in 1985, and a Ph.D. in molecular biology from the University of Pennsylvania in 1988. His doctoral thesis involved genetic imprinting in early mammalian development, after which he undertook postdoctoral studies at the Primate In Vitro Fertilization and Experimental Embryology Laboratory at the Oregon National Primate Research Center. Dr. Thomson joined the University of Wisconsin-Madison in 1990 and served as chief pathologist at the Wisconsin National Primate Research Center from 1995 to 2002.
Today, Dr. Thomson is the John D. MacArthur Professor of Anatomy at the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health and an adjunct professor in the Department of Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology at the University of California, Santa Barbara. In addition, he is Director of Regenerative Biology at the Morgridge Institute for Research in Madison, Wisconsin, and he is a member of the National Academy of Sciences. He was named one of the 100 most influential people in the world in 2008 by Time Magazine.
Dr. Thomson's many research achievements include the derivation of the first embryonic stem cell (ESC) lines from primates in 1995 (Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 1995;92:7844?7848) and the derivation of the first ESC lines from human blastocysts in 1998 (Science 1998;282:1145?1147). This month we are celebrating the 10th anniversary of the second of these landmark achievements, which has led to the explosion of research in the field of stem cells today. STEM CELLS talked with Dr. Thomson to look back on the last 10 years and to look forward to the future.
The Discovery
At the Wisconsin Regional Primate Research Center in 1995, Dr. Jamie Thomson was taking on the bold task of studying primate embryonic stem cells. He could foresee how potentially important these cells would be, even though hardly anyone else was interested at the time. The research was risky, was difficult to get funding for, and took longer than a typical tenure-track position would allow. He was able to do this research only because in addition to his Ph.D. training he had trained as a veterinary pathologist, and he maintained a position serving as the Chief of Pathology at the Wisconsin Primate Center. When his laboratory published the first paper deriving ESC lines from primates in 1995 (Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 1995;92:7844?7848), no one really took notice. "In a sense, this was the more important paper, since people didn't know yet if the production of ESCs was even possible outside of rodents," Thomson points out. But the world finally did take notice 3 years later, in November 1998, when his laboratory was the first to publish the derivation of ESC lines from human blastocysts (Science 1998;282:1145?1147).
"It's Been Surprising to Me How Long the Publicity Has Lasted over the Last 10 Years"
After Thomson's breakthrough paper in 1998, stem cells quickly became one of the most popular and talked-about areas of research, both inside and outside the scientific community. "It's been surprising to me how long the publicity has lasted over the last 10 years. I thought there would be a big response initially, but that it would only last about 6 months and then people would move on to other things." The publicity doesn't seem to be dying down, but thankfully, some of the controversy surrounding the work is. Thomson believes that the early controversy surrounding ESCs has somewhat hindered the field, having financial implications and possibly discouraging young scientists from entering the field. However, this seems to be changing, due in part to the advent of induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells, as well as increased public awareness and education. But we need to do more to involve and educate the public about what is really going on in the laboratory and what it means to medicine. "It's still clearly a hot topic news story, but then you see in polls that the public still really has no idea what these cells are or where they come from."
"I Believe That There Are Going to Be Some Practical Applications, but Only ... After Hard-Fought Years in Development"
Thomson believes that, ultimately, the biggest value of ESCs will be the access they give us to study the human body, as opposed to specific practical applications. "I believe that there are going to be some applications in transplantation medicine, but that they will be few and far between, and will only be successful after many hard-fought years in development. In some cases we might want to transplant these cells, but I think there will be some eerie parallels to gene therapy. Recombinant DNA technology has been useful to us more because of its value as a research tool than for its use in gene therapy. It has changed many things about medicine today, without us actually putting genes into people. In the same way, I think the value of ESCs has much more to do with basic research than as a therapeutic modality."
iPS Cells Will Ultimately Converge with ESCs
In Thomson's view, iPS cells will ultimately converge with ESCs, since they are so similar and it is so difficult to tell them apart. But again, he notes, they will likely be most useful as model systems. In addition, the ability to control the genetic background of these cells should greatly enhance our ability to research drug development. But whether using ESCs or iPS cells, the major problem with any treatment is still getting the stem cells to integrate in a way that specifically repairs the necessary tissue. "I think there will be some eerie parallels to gene therapy. I think that scientists will likely migrate over to iPS cells since they don't have all of the baggage that ESCs do.
"I think there will be some eerie parallels to gene therapy."
People still have to figure out how to make them efficiently without having vectors in there, but I think that this will be happening in the very near future."
As for the future of stem cell research, Thomson envisions that an important area in the next 5 years will be with people trying to reprogram between cell types?that is, going sideways rather than backward with respect to differentiation. "People are starting to publish on this now, and it certainly makes a lot of sense for regenerative medicine." The future of stem cell research will, of course, rely on the next generation of scientists in the field. Thomson's early work shows that it is important for young scientists to find something they truly enjoy and believe is important and to follow their own path, even if the rest of the world doesn't seem interested at the time and even if it means taking unusual or alternative approaches. He also points out the necessity for young people to find a good mentor and for senior Principal Investigators to act as these mentors, teaching and inspiring the next generation of stem cell researchers. "It takes a very unique individual to be there at the right time, who actually cares about you as a student. It's difficult, but very important to find someone like that."