Title: Nurturing the stem cell business: lessons from the recombinant drugs markets?

Authors: Robert Junold, Rudiger Wink

Addresses: Ruhr Forschungsinstitut fur Innovations- und Strukturpolitik, Ruhr Universitat Bochum, GC 3/154, 44780 Bochum, Germany. ' Hochschule fur Technik, Wirtschaft und Kultur Leipzig, FB Wirtschaftswissenschaften, Postfach 301166, 04251 Leipzig, Germany

Abstract: The commercial use of embryonic or adult stem cells is still in its infancy. Most young firms concentrated on the generation and storage of stem cells, the development of tissues and related equipment. But the perspectives of therapeutic use of stem cells attract a lot of political and commercial attention to possible new strategic markets opening up new fields besides incumbent bio-pharmaceutical segments. The paper compares experiences of market emergence in recombinant drugs market as a typical bio-pharmaceutical market with the current situation in stem cell business. The results of this comparison lead to policy recommendations for nurturing stem cell business stressing particularly the role of examination knowledge and sales markets.

Keywords: recombinant drugs market; stem cell research; science-driven sectors; knowledge asymmetries; geographical proximity; market emergence; biopharmaceutical market; bioentrepreneurship; entrepreneurship; stem cell business; examination knowledge; sales markets; commercial exploitation; stem cell policies; biotechnology.

DOI: 10.1504/IJBT.2006.009291

International Journal of Biotechnology, 2006 Vol.8 No.3/4, pp.187 - 205

Published online: 15 Mar 2006 *

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