Valleywag

Stem cell breakthrough could mean biotech bucks for Bay Area

Most passersby don't notice California Institute for Regenerative Medicine's austere signage tucked between Borders and Amici's on King Street, kitty-corner from the ballpark . And the San Francisco-based CIRM has struggled to turn its $3 billion in state funding into an active economic engine for the area. But a breakthrough by researchers at the University of Wisconsin-Madison (birthplace of The Onion) may enable mass production of stem cells from boring old skin cells, rather than by harvesting (read: killing) human embryos. There are still decades of research to be done before stem cells cure diseases. But this bodes well for the stable, science-driven future industry San Francisco leaders have long tried to jumpstart in Mission Bay.

5:39 AM on Fri Nov 23 2007
By Paul Boutin
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