The trailblazing stem cell discoveries of James Thomson are opening new frontiers in biomedicine, transplant therapy and drug development. Thomson led the first team to isolate and culture human embryonic stem cells in 1998, and more recently led the successful effort to derive induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) from adult skin cells. The discoveries have been hailed as breakthroughs throughout the scientific community, giving new hope that someday we may find treatments for afflictions like Parkinson’s disease and diabetes.