Abstract

Perhaps no area of biologic research has so excited the public imagination in the past decade as stem cell science, which both the general public and scientific community believe holds great promise for future therapies for disease and traumatic injury. Even though the science is in its early stages, it is clear from what we already know that the research holds the key to great advances in the understanding and treatment of many diseases, including diabetes, heart disease, some forms of paralysis, multiple nervous system disorders, kidney disease, macular degeneration, many forms of cancer, as well as trauma repair. But why has Harvard University, an institution known for the independence of its constituent parts, and one already committed in so many areas, become so deeply involved in this effort?