This book offers timely and novel insights on the development of what may be the most important medical technology of the twenty-first century. It is the first academic book to document the emergence of the stem cell as an icon of modern medicine and science, which also offers a critical analysis of its iconic status. It offers new perspectives on the complex dynamics of stem cell innovation, uncovering how the field has been shaped by a range of factors, including professional, institutional and national rivalries, as much as by clinical need.


Uniquely, Alison Kraft highlights the role of the stem cell in the formation of biomedicine, its place in cancer therapy, its prominence within regenerative medicine and its emergence as a leading site for the commercialization of the life sciences. The book also provides a much-needed historical perspective to understanding the contemporary importance of the stem cell, its place in the formation of biomedicine, and how it has risen to new clinical, commercial and economic prominence.