The sky isn't falling for embryonic stem cell technologies in
Europe. Despite a broad ruling by the European
Court of Justice that products derived from embryonic stem cells cannot
be patented, the scientific complexity of turning such cells into products
should provide a high barrier to competition.
Additionally, new techniques
that avoid embryo destruction, along with iPS and adult-derived stem cell
sources, are not affected by the ruling and provide patentable avenues for
developing stem cell-based therapies.