World Thinkers

Shinya Yamanaka

President of the International Society for Stem Cell Research and joint-winner of 2012 Nobel Prize for Medicine

March 11, 2013
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Shinya Yamanaka is a Japanese medical researcher and president of the International Society for Stem Cell Research. He won the 2012 Nobel prize for medicine for his discovery that adult stem cells are capable of generating all cell lineages in the body, thus creating an alternative to embryonic stem cells. Julian Savulescu, ethicist at Oxford University, commented that “this is not only a giant leap for science, it is a giant leap for mankind… Yamanaka has taken people’s ethical concerns seriously about embryo research and modified the trajectory of research into a path that is acceptable for all.” 

Further reading:

The Healer: William Saletan discusses Yamanaka’s revolutionary importance in stem cell research “There Must Be Another Way” : Piyusha Chatterjee of BioSpectrum profiles Yamanaka