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Scientist to lead new Institute department

The Morgridge Institute of Research announced Monday stem cell pioneer James Thomson will be the first member of its multi-disciplinary scientific leadership team.

According to Carl Gulbrandsen, director of the Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation and a member of the institute’s board of trustees, Thomson’s official title will be director of regenerative biology.

Thomson is best known as the scientist who first isolated human embryonic stem cells in 1998 and, according to Gulbrandsen, is perfect for the job.

“He is unequivocally the leader in his discipline,” Gulbrandsen said. “He’s not only been successful with one breakthrough but he has since had a second. He’s a productive scientist and a thoughtful scientist.”

Thomson was also involved in creating human-induced pluripotent stem cells in 2007. These cells are stem cells created from genetically altered human skin cells.

According to Gulbrandsen, MIR is the private, not-for-profit section of the upcoming public Wisconsin Institute of Discovery.

The Wisconsin Institute of Discovery’s new facility is not set to open until fall 2010, but the operations of the institute will begin soon in temporarily leased space, according to a statement from the Morgridge Institute.

According to Gulbrandsen, Thomson is the first person the board has selected. He added three or four more scientists from different disciplines will be selected for the leadership team of the Morgridge Institute.

Gulbrandsen added the goal of the institute is to have many separate disciplines that will all complement each other.

“We’re bringing mathematicians together with biologists and adding the influence of engineering on a micro-scale and macro-scale,” Gulbrandsen said.

He added Thomson’s responsibilities for the new position consist of continuing the research he is currently doing in a larger laboratory and having a role with the other directors in deciding the direction the institute is taking.

Gulbrandsen said the selection of scientific leadership team members is the responsibility of the MIR board of trustees. He added the board has only been in existence since November 2007 and is not yet complete.

When complete the board will consist of 15 seats. Six seats belong to WARF members, two seats belong to members of the Morgridge family, one seat is the responsibility of UW and four seats go to at-large members, according to Gulbrandsen.