The Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation and a European stem-cell company announced a deal Thursday allowing marketing of some stem-cell technology, with industry observers saying biotechnology could be a bright spot in the weak economy.
WARF signed an agreement with Cellartis AB allowing the company to sell undifferentiated human embryonic stem-cell products, according to WARF Communications Director Janet Kelly.
Kelly said any company wanting to commercially use human embryonic stem-cells in the United States must first gain a licensing agreement from WARF like that obtained by Cellartis AB.
The incoming Obama administration is expected to provide greater funding and fewer limits on stem-cell research, which Kelly said is likely to increase partnerships like the recent agreement.
It certainly looks like there will be a loosening of restrictions, and we hope for that,"" she said. ""Overall it is going to be good for stem-cell science and stem-cell business.""
UW-Madison researchers in 2007 also discovered a way to turn human skin cells into stem-cells, and Kelly said that similarly led to greater commercial interest.
Andy DeTienne, WARF's licensing manager for stem-cell technologies, said he was not able to comment on the estimated worth of the deal, but said the negotiations had been ongoing for two years.
He said the deal with Cellartis AB should hopefully generate royalties for WARF, with the funds then funneled into new research on campus. DeTienne said WARF has made 32 licensing agreements with 27 different companies, the majority of them in the last four years.
Kurt Zimmerman, director of the Master of Science in Biotechnology program at the university, said an increased interest in stem-cell research would ""position the state well to transition to a much more high-tech economy.""
In the weak economy, according to Zimmerman, biotechnology products like stem cells have several advantages, including the fact that they are applicable to people around the globe. He said this in turn could help related industries like medical equipment manufacturers, with Wisconsin already competitive in that field.
Zimmerman said UW-Madison is well-positioned to take advantage of the greater interest in stem-cell technology, with companies like Cellular Dynamics hiring several recent university graduates.
