Today's THV

Gene Patents Draw High Court Review in Biotechnology Test Businessweek The U.S. Supreme Court agreed to consider whether human genes can be patented, taking up an issue that has split the medical community and will shape the future of personalized health care and the biotechnology industry. The justices yesterday said ... US Supreme Court to Review Patents on Human GenesWall Street Journal Supremes to Decide Others Can Own Your GenesNational Review Online (blog) US top court to rule if companies can patent genesAFP Philadelphia Inquirer all 313 news articles »

Source:
http://news.google.com/news/url?sa=t&fd=R&usg=AFQjCNHkE9GDvUDADfqatAhvvW4OD3C8XA&url=http://www.businessweek.com/news/2012-11-30/gene-patents-draw-high-court-review-in-biotechnology-test

Genetic Engineering News

DuBiotech: The Silicon Valley of Biotechnology Genetic Engineering News Ahmed Taha from DuBiotech, the Dubai Biotechnology & Research Park, has two questions for GEN readers: “Do you have a biotech idea that you'd like to develop rapidly, conveniently, and inexpensively?” Or alternatively, “Do you have an existing biotech ... and more »

Source:
http://news.google.com/news/url?sa=t&fd=R&usg=AFQjCNEk4rtzm46lE_25U_ZbxuqBzc6dnA&url=http://www.genengnews.com/insight-and-intelligence/dubiotech-the-silicon-valley-of-biotechnology/77899729/

The panelists emphasized that more accurate information should be provided to the public regarding stem cell treatments.

1.  50 shades of grey. Let's admit that this issue is not black-and-white but, as is almost always, involves a broad spectrum of grey in the middle.  


In addition to helping patients distinguish between compliant and non-compliant treatments (and providers) there are a lot of ways to help patients distinguish between non-compliant cell therapy  treatments (and providers) which are more or less risky.  

In between - in my opinion - are clinics like Stem Cell Institute and StemCellMD.

For some, helping patients distinguish between the better and worst non-compliant clinics might involve a fair amount of nose-pinching but this is the equivalent of the methadone clinic for heroine addicts.  By supporting the better of two evils we are not endorsing it as 'good', we are simply recognizing it is better.

This is a recognition that we cannot just abandon people because they made (or are going to make) decisions with which we ultimately disapprove.   It is a recognition that sometimes the most righteous thing to do is not only to help people do what we would ideally want them to do but to help them do the best they can in their circumstances and on their terms - even terms with which we may ultimately disagree.

6.  Let's grow a pair and call a spade a spade.  If a non-compliant clinic is providing treatments that we believe represent a high-risk to patient safety and the industry's credibility, let's have the b*lls to call them on it.  They can't sue everyone.  

http://www.celltherapyblog.com hosted by http://www.celltherapygroup.com

Source:
http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/CellTherapyBlog/~3/2b8Ffw4b1pU/six-steps-to-fighting-non-compliant.html

Scientists and engineers dream about big advances that could change the world, and then they try to create them. On the following pages, Scientific American reveals 10 innovations that could be game changers: an artificial alternative to DNA, oil that cleans water, pacemakers powered by our blood, and more. These are not pie-in-the-sky notions but practical breakthroughs that have been proved or prototyped and are poised to scale up greatly. Each has the potential to make what may now seem impossible possible. -- The Editors

[More]

Source:
http://rss.sciam.com/click.phdo?i=b2ba3706ed26d9143fea77a07b425555

A couple of members of the governing
board of the $3 billion California stem cell agency were honored for
their work this month.

Jeff Sheehy UCSF Photo

“Jeff once told me
that when he joined CIRM’s board eight years ago, he didn’t see a
role for stem cells in an HIV/AIDS treatment. Now, CIRM has committed
$40 million toward HIV/AIDS projects and two teams of researchers
from City
of Hope and UCLA are
working toward clinical trials.”

Bert Lubin Childrens Hospital Photo

“He recruited a new senior management
team, chopped away at the pediatric hospital’s operating deficit
and worked to heal relationships with the local community and
governmental and political leaders that were deeply frayed...”

Source:
http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/blogspot/uqpFc/~3/9b9s3mW2ebM/stem-cell-board-members-lubin-and.html

Longtime ALS patient advocate Diane
Winokur of San Francisco, who has lost two sons to the disease, has
been appointed to the governing board of the $3 billion California
stem cell agency.

Diane Winokur Photo -- Legal Momentum

"Her
contributions have been invaluable and she will be a tremendous asset
in moving the ALS research field forward through CIRM
funding."

“Her knowledge, expertise and
leadership will be a tremendous addition to the ICOC (the stem cell
agency governing board) and help guide us in our work.”

Source:
http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/blogspot/uqpFc/~3/dITcyP7WJbs/diane-winokur-veteran-als-patient.html

As of this week, 14 persons have been
recommended for the Knoepfler “Stem Cell Person of the Year”
Award.

“It’s something that I’m hoping I
can do every year. It would also be a reward for risk taking,
creativity and be breaking with tradition and be something new in
that regard.” 

Source:
http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/blogspot/uqpFc/~3/cLYLc5HQUSY/knoepfler-award-update-more-than-bakers.html

Study moves scientists one step closer to creating youthful heart patches from old cells

TORONTO, ON A new method of growing cardiac tissue is teaching old stem cells new tricks. The discovery, which transforms aged stem cells into cells that function like much younger ones, may one day enable scientists to grow cardiac patches for damaged or diseased hearts from a patients own stem cellsno matter what age the patientwhile avoiding the threat of rejection.

Stem cell therapies involving donated bone marrow stem cells run the risk of patient rejection in a portion of the population, argues Milica Radisic, Canada Research Chair in Functional Cardiovascular Tissue Engineering at the Institute of Biomaterials and Biomedical Engineering (IBBME) and Associate Professor in the Department of Chemical Engineering and Applied Chemistry at the University of Toronto.

One method of avoiding the risk of rejection has been to use cells derived from a patients own body. But until now, clinical trials of this kind of therapy using elderly patients own cells have not been a viable option, since aged cells tend not to function as well as cells from young patients.

Its a problem that Radisic and her co-researcher, Dr. Ren-Ke Li, think they might have an answer for: by creating the conditions for a fountain of youth reaction within a tissue culture.

Li holds the Canada Research Chair in Cardiac Regeneration and is a Professor in the Division of Cardiovascular Surgery, cross-appointed to IBBME. He is also a Senior Scientist at the Toronto General Research Institute.

Radisic and Li first create a micro-environment that allows heart tissue to grow, with stem cells donated from elderly patients at the Toronto General Hospital.

The cell cultures are then infused with a combination of growth factorscommon factors that cause blood vessel growth and cell proliferationpositioned in such a way within the porous scaffolding that the cells are able to be stimulated by these factors.

Dr. Li and his team then tracked the molecular changes in the tissue patch cells.

We saw certain aging factors turned off, states Li, citing the levels of two molecules in particular, p16 and RGN, which effectively turned back the clock in the cells, returning them to robust and healthy states.

See more here:
“Fountain of Youth” technique rejuvenates aging stem cells - Study moves scientists one step closer to creating ...

Company's ability to do something nobody has done before confirms world-leader status.

Scottsdale, AZ (PRWEB) November 30, 2012

In the companys news yesterday,

International Stem Cell Corp. has achieved a critical milestone towards the clinical development of its non-embryonic stem cell therapy.

Through much dedication and hard work, the companys research and development team has created the worlds first human clinical-grade stem cell lines that can be immune-match to millions of individuals. ISCOs existing research-grade parthenogenetic stem cell lines, one of which may be an immune-match to approximately 70 million people, are being used in pre-clinical development. ISCO is now in a position to conduct clinical trials in the United States.

Weve been working diligently for three years to perfect this technology, which was first developed by our scientific founder, Dr. Elena Revazova in Moscow, and Im excited to report that we have been able to derive new stem cell lines in the United States under the US and California regulatory frameworks. Im optimistic that the new parthenogenetic stem cell lines, by providing a potentially unlimited supply of cells and tissue for transplantation, will be of great benefit to the medical community and patients world-wide, stated Dr. Semechkin, CEO and Co-Chairman of the Board.

Created using ISCOs proprietary technology, the new stem cell lines represent the first of a new generation of clinical-grade human parthenogenetic stem cell (hpSC) lines created in the United States under US regulatory oversight and designed to meet FDA regulations. The US Food and Drug Administration developed Good Tissue Practice (GTP) and Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP) standards to ensure the safety of products developed for clinical use. Conforming to GMP is necessary to conduct clinical development programs.

Independent third-party testing has confirmed the new lines to be homozygous in the HLA coding regions. This means that they have a simple genetic profile in the critical areas of the DNA that code for immune rejection; a distinct clinical advantage over embryonic stem cells. The company anticipates the new lines to immune-match millions of individuals. They will be added to ISCOs existing bank and provide a platform from which to develop cells and tissue for clinical use.

The importance of this breakthrough cannot be overstated, emphasized Dr. Craw, Executive Vice President of ISCO. Expanding our collection is not only important for our therapeutic programs, but also further establishes our leadership position in human stem cell technology. Achieving this critical milestone moves us along the path to make the transition into a clinical stage company.

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QualityStocks News - International Stem Cell Corp. Advances Groundbreaking Stem Cell Therapy with Distinct Advantages ...

Autologous Cell Therapy Market reserach report gives a detailed analysis about state of the art of both autologous stem cell and non-stem cell treatments. It includes the current advances and applications of the technology and trends in terms of market size and growth of autologous cellular therapies in medical treatments globally.

(PRWEB) November 30, 2012

Browse ACT market research data tables/figures spread through 111 slides and in-depth TOC on Autologous Cell Therapy (ACT) Market (2012 - 2017).

http://www.marketsandmarkets.com/Market-Reports/autologous-cell-therapy-market-837.html

Early buyers will receive 10% customization on reports.

There is a wide market potential and favorable landscape for adoption across many geographical locations of the world. During the forecast period, these technologies are expected to revolutionize the area of bio-pharma and personalized medicine. High incidence and lack of effective treatment for several diseases will drive the ACT technology in developed and developing nations.

Investment activities, for past five years are actively held in research and developments, attracting interests of cell therapy industry firms, medical centers and academic institutions. ACT potential can be demonstrated by mergers, collaborations, acquisitions and partnerships that happened actively between the ACT technology developing companies in past three years. Development of sophisticated automation devices for cell expansion and culture process for use in the treatment is one of the emerging trends of ACT market.

The global market for ACT is valued around $650 million by 2011 with a CAGR of 21%. Several products and technologies of ACT are in pipeline which is expected to hit the market during the forecast period, which will result in increased growth rate.

About MarketsandMarkets

MarketsandMarkets is a global market research and consulting company based in the U.S. We publish strategically analyzed market research reports and serve as a business intelligence partner to Fortune 500 companies across the world. MarketsandMarkets also provides multi-client reports, company profiles, databases, and custom research services.

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Autologous Cell Therapy Market expected to reach $2.2 billion by 2017, growing at a CAGR of 21% : MarketsandMarkets

Stem cell discovery may revive damaged heart

(IANS) / 29 November 2012

A new discovery that tricks aging stem cells into rejuvenating mode could enable scientists to create youthful patches for damaged or diseased hearts and heal them, according to a Canadian study.

The breakthrough may enable scientists to create such life giving patches from a patients own stem cells - regardless of the patients age - while avoiding the threat of rejection, the study claims.

Stem cell therapies involving donated bone marrow stem cells run the risk of patient rejection in a portion of the population, argues Milica Radisic, associate professor of chemical engineering and applied chemistry at the University of Toronto, the Journal of the American College of Cardiology reports.

One method of avoiding such a risk has been to use cells derived from a patients own body. But until now, clinical trials of this kind of therapy using elderly patients own cells have not been a viable option, since aged cells tend not to function as well as cells from young patients, according to a Toronto statement.

If you want to treat these people with their own cells, how do you do this? asks Radisic. Its a problem that Radisic and co-researcher Ren-Ke Li think they might have an answer for: by creating the conditions for a fountain of youth reaction within a tissue culture. Li is a professor in the division of cardiovascular surgery.

Radisic and Li first create a micro-environment that allows heart tissue to grow, with stem cells donated from elderly patients at the Toronto General Hospital, where Li works.

Li and his team then tracked the molecular changes in the tissue patch cells. We saw certain aging factors turned off, states Li, citing the levels of two molecules in particular, p16 and (regucalcin) RGN, which effectively turned back the clock in the cells, returning them to robust and states.

Its very exciting research, says Radisic, who was named one of the top innovators under 35 by MIT in 2008 and winner of the 2012 Young Engineers Canada award.

Read the rest here:
Stem cell discovery may revive damaged heart

ScienceDaily (Nov. 27, 2012) A new method of growing cardiac tissue is teaching old stem cells new tricks. The discovery, which transforms aged stem cells into cells that function like much younger ones, may one day enable scientists to grow cardiac patches for damaged or diseased hearts from a patient's own stem cells -- no matter what age the patient -- while avoiding the threat of rejection.

Stem cell therapies involving donated bone marrow stem cells run the risk of patient rejection in a portion of the population, argues Milica Radisic, Canada Research Chair in Functional Cardiovascular Tissue Engineering at the Institute of Biomaterials and Biomedical Engineering (IBBME) and Associate Professor in the Department of Chemical Engineering and Applied Chemistry at the University of Toronto.

One method of avoiding the risk of rejection has been to use cells derived from a patient's own body. But until now, clinical trials of this kind of therapy using elderly patients' own cells have not been a viable option, since aged cells tend not to function as well as cells from young patients.

"If you want to treat these people with their own cells, how do you do this?"

It's a problem that Radisic and her co-researcher, Dr. Ren-Ke Li, think they might have an answer for: by creating the conditions for a 'fountain of youth' reaction within a tissue culture.

Li holds the Canada Research Chair in Cardiac Regeneration and is a Professor in the Division of Cardiovascular Surgery, cross-appointed to IBBME. He is also a Senior Scientist at the Toronto General Research Institute.

Radisic and Li first create a "micro-environment" that allows heart tissue to grow, with stem cells donated from elderly patients at the Toronto General Hospital.

The cell cultures are then infused with a combination of growth factors -- common factors that cause blood vessel growth and cell proliferation -- positioned in such a way within the porous scaffolding that the cells are able to be stimulated by these factors.

Dr. Li and his team then tracked the molecular changes in the tissue patch cells. "We saw certain aging factors turned off," states Li, citing the levels of two molecules in particular, p16 and RGN, which effectively turned back the clock in the cells, returning them to robust and healthy states.

"It's very exciting research," says Radisic, who was named one of the top innovators under 35 by MIT in 2008 and winner of the 2012 Young Engineers Canada award.

Read more:
'Fountain of youth' technique rejuvenates aging stem cells

SCMOM 2012_Sistemic
Sistemic #39;s world leading expertise is on applying microRNA profiling in context with the biology, to areas where there is currently an unmet need for sophisticated tools delivering instructive and robust knowledge of the cell system. From their SistemQC trade; platform they have derived an extensive suite of tools for the cell therapy, gene therapy and bioprocessing community. SistemQC trade;, molecularly characterises cells including stem cells as well as aids in the optimization and monitoring (QC) of the manufacture process. More specifically the initial focus of SistemQC trade; by clients has been on generation of microRNA based ID markers, purity potency assessment and manufacture monitoring optimization. http://www.sistemic.co.uk Presenter: Jim Reid, Chairman and CEO, SistemicFrom:AllianceRegenMedViews:3 1ratingsTime:11:56More inScience Technology

Link:
SCMOM 2012_Sistemic - Video

SCMOM 2012_NeoStem
NeoStem, Inc. is an emerging technology leader in the fast-developing cell therapy market. Its business strategy combines a state-of-the-art contract development and manufacturing subsidiary, Progenitor Cell Therapy, LLC, with a medically important cell therapy product development program. NeoStem #39;s most clinically advanced therapeutic, AMR-001, is being developed at its Amorcyte subsidiary, which is enrolling patients in a Phase 2 trial for preservation of heart function after a heart attack. Athelos Corporation, also a NeoStem subsidiary, is in early stage clinical exploration of a T-cell therapy for autoimmune conditions. Pre-clinical assets include our VSELTM Technology platform and our mesenchymal stem cell product candidate for regenerative medicine. http://www.neostem.com Presenter: Jonathan Sackner-Bernstein, NeoStem, Inc.From:AllianceRegenMedViews:4 1ratingsTime:14:54More inScience Technology

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SCMOM 2012_NeoStem - Video

SCMOM 2012_Stanford Cardiovascular Institute
Stanford Cardiovascular Institute (CVI) is the nucleus for cardiovascular research at Stanford University. Formed in 2004, the Cardiovascular Institute is home to Stanford #39;s myriad cardiovascular-related adult and pediatric research, clinical, and educational programs, centers and laboratories, as well as over 500 Stanford basic scientists, graduate students, clinician scientists, and other researchers in heart and vessel disease and prevention. Within the area of cardiac regenerative medicine, the Stanford CVI has significant research endeavors involving human pluripotent stem cells for (1) cardiovascular disease modeling, (2) drug screening and discovery, and (3) personalized cell therapy. Recently, Stanford CVI investigators received a $20 million CIRM Disease Team Therapy Award for performing pre-IND work that would enable the first-in-man clinical trial involving injection of human embryonic stem cell-derived cardiomyocytes for patients with heart failure. wulab.stanford.edu Presenter Joseph Wu, Associate Professor, Cardiovascular Medicine, Stanford University School of MedicineFrom:AllianceRegenMedViews:3 0ratingsTime:17:06More inScience Technology

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SCMOM 2012_Stanford Cardiovascular Institute - Video

SCMOM 2012_Regen BioPharma, Inc.
The Regen BioPharma business model is to take multiple stem cell therapeutics to and through the human "safety and signal of efficacy" stage (Phase I/II clinical trials). The approach is a highly focused analysis of issued patents in regenerative medicine, identification and acquisition of undervalued assets that have demonstrated proof of concept, and forming companies around these assets. Having assembled a core infrastructure specialized in obtaining regulatory approval and executing clinical trials in cell therapy, we aim to act as a "superincubator" that within 18 - 24 months grows technologies from laboratory to an asset ready for spin-off or sale to feed the pipeline of Big Pharma. http://www.regenbiopharma.com Presenter: J. Christopher Mizer, President, Regen BioPharma, Inc.From:AllianceRegenMedViews:4 1ratingsTime:09:13More inScience Technology

See the article here:
SCMOM 2012_Regen BioPharma, Inc. - Video

Washington, November 28 (ANI): When mesenchymal cells derived from skeletal muscle (SM-MSCs) or adipose tissue (ADSCs) were injected into the heart muscle (myocardium) of separate groups of laboratory rats that had suffered a myocardial infarction, rats in both groups experienced significantly improved left ventricle function and smaller infarct size after cell therapy, a study has found.

The study, carried out by researchers at Oslo University Hospital and the Norwegian Center for Stem cell Research, Oslo University, sought to determine if MSCs from different organs would result in different functional outcomes.

"Despite advances in revascularization and medical therapy, acute myocardial infarction (AMI) and heart failure are still important causes of morbidity and mortality in industrialized countries," said study co-author Dr. Jan E. Brinchmann of the Norwegian center for Stem Cell Research at Oslo University Hospital, Oslo.

"AMI leads to a permanent loss of contractile elements in the heart and the formation of fibrous scarring. Regeneration of contractile myocardium has been a target of cell therapy for more than a decade," he added.

According to Dr. Brinchmann, MSCs tolerate hypoxia, secrete angiogenic factors and have been shown to improve vascularization; thus, they have properties suggesting that they may beneficially impact AMI, chronic heart failure and angina pectoris after cell transplantation.

Following injection into the "border zone" and infarct area of immunodeficient rats one week after induced myocardial infarction, the researchers used echocardiography to measure myocardial function and other analyses to measure the size of scaring, density of blood vessels in the scar, and the health of myocardial tissues.

"Our results showed that intramyocardial injection of both ADSCs and SM-MSCs one week after AMI led to a substantial decrease in infarct size and a significant improvement in left ventricle function when compared with injections of cell culture medium alone," concluded the researchers.

"There was a trend toward better functional improvement in the SM-MSC group when compared to the ADSC group, but this did not reach significance," they added.

They concluded that many questions remain unanswered, including the question of whether MSCs isolated from different organisms could result in different functional outcomes.

Other unanswered questions relate to the optimal time delay between the onset of myocardial infarction and injection of MSCs. These cells do, however, still appear to be "a potentially interesting adjuvant treatment modality for selected patients following acute myocardial infarction," they concluded.

Original post:
Different organ-derived stem cell injections improve heart function in rats

Procedure Combines Point-of-Care Stem Cell Therapy and Enriched Mesenchymal Stem Cell Injection

NAMPA, ID--(Marketwire - Nov 29, 2012) - Veterinarians from Idaho Equine Hospital, including Dr. William Maupin and Dr. Stuart Shoemaker, performed the first-ever combination regenerative medicine treatment on a six-year-old Quarter Reined Cow horse that suffered a significant injury to its distal straight sesamoidean ligament.

This injury can be challenging for veterinarians to successfully treat and return the horse to athletic competition.

The veterinary team and the scientific team at Stemlogix, LLC determined that the best treatment protocol would be to treat him with point-of-care stem cell therapy using the Stemlogix In-Clinic Regenerative Medicine System and then perform a follow up treatment a few weeks later using culture expanded mesenchymal stem cells. He received a dose of the point-of-care stem cell therapy three weeks ago and three weeks later received an injection of culture expanded mesenchymal stem cells.

Stemlogix, LLC pioneered the landmark stem cell therapy treatment regimen and this is the first time this combination stem cell therapy treatment has ever been performed on a horse. The team that treated the horse believes this revolutionary treatment protocol will give him the best chance for an improved quality of life and provides the best opportunity for restoring the injured tissue back to its normal structure instead of healing with scar tissue.

"Due to the severity of the injury and the poor circulation present in the sesamoidean ligament we elected to perform a two-step therapeutic approach," said Dr. Maupin. "We first injected adipose derived stem cell therapy produced patient-side to initiate an environment of healing.

"In addition, we injected culture expanded mesenchymal stem cells. This secondary expanded and enriched mesenchymal stem cell therapy treatment may further restore normal tissue structure or actual ligament tissue."

To provide him with this groundbreaking treatment, two small fat samples were taken from the base of his tail via a minimally invasive lipoaspirate procedure. Fat tissue is the richest source of stem cells for both human patients and animal patients. One of the tissue samples was processed on-site to provide a same-day, point-of-care stem cell treatment while the other tissue sample was sent to the Stemlogix state-of-the-art cGMP laboratory where the mesenchymal stem cells were isolated and expanded for three weeks. A portion of his stem cells were also cryopreserved for future use.

The Stemlogix In-Clinic Regenerative Medicine System rapidly produces a composition of stem cells at the point-of-care containing an abundance of mesenchymal stem cells, endothelial progenitor cells, among other cell types. This assortment of stem cells provides additional growth factors and therapeutic proteins to stimulate healing. This system offers veterinarians an optimal treatment tool that is convenient and effective in treating debilitating equine diseases and injuries.

On the other hand, the culture expanded stem cell therapy contains a high number of purified mesenchymal stem cells which makes this therapy better suited for treating specific indications such as orthopedic injuries, autoimmune diseases and other degenerative diseases. Mesenchymal stem cells are multi-potent or have the ability to form into a variety of new tissues such as bone, cartilage, ligaments, and tendons.

Read this article:
Stemlogix Reports Idaho Veterinarians Perform First in U.S. Combination Regenerative Medicine Treatment on Injured Horse

CARLSBAD, CA--(Marketwire - Nov 29, 2012) - International Stem Cell Corporation ( OTCQB : ISCO ) (www.internationalstemcell.com) ("ISCO" or "the Company"), a California-based biotechnology company focused on the development of therapeutic products, today announced the achievement of a critical milestone towards the clinical development of its stem cell therapy.

The Company's research and development team has created the world's first human clinical-grade stem cell lines with the ability to immune-match millions of individuals. ISCO's existing research-grade parthenogenetic stem cell lines, one of which contains the most common immune type in the Caucasian population and may be an immune-match to approximately 70 million people, are used in pre-clinical development. These new clinical-grade stem cell lines position ISCO to be able to conduct clinical trials in the United States.

Dr. Semechkin, CEO and Co-Chairman of the Board, comments, "We've been working diligently for three years to perfect this technology, which was first developed by our scientific founder, Dr. Elena Revazova in Moscow, and I'm excited to report that we have been able to derive new stem cell lines in the United States under the US and California regulatory frameworks. I'm optimistic that the new parthenogenetic stem cell lines, by providing a potentially unlimited supply of cells and tissue for transplantation, will be of great benefit to the medical community and patients world-wide."

The new stem cell lines, created using ISCO's proprietary technology, are the first of a new generation of clinical-grade human parthenogenetic stem cell (hpSC) lines created in the United States under US regulatory oversight and designed to meet FDA regulations. The US Food and Drug Administration developed Good Tissue Practice (GTP) and Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP) standards to ensure the safety of products developed for clinical use. Conforming to GMP is extremely important as it means that the cells can be used in clinical development programs.

The new lines have been confirmed by independent third-party testing to be "homozygous" in the HLA coding regions meaning that they have a simple genetic profile in the critical areas of the DNA that code for immune rejection. This feature is one of the most important differences of hpSC when compared with embryonic stem cells and a distinct clinical advantage because of their ability to be immune-matched to the patient. We expect the new lines to immune-match millions of individuals, and will be added to ISCO's existing bank providing a platform from which to develop cells and tissue for clinical use.

"The importance of this breakthrough cannot be overstated," commented Dr. Craw, Executive Vice President of ISCO. "Expanding our collection is not only important for our therapeutic programs, but also further establishes our leadership position in human stem cell technology. Achieving this critical milestone moves us along the path to make the transition into a clinical stage company."

About International Stem Cell Corporation

International Stem Cell Corporation is focused on the therapeutic applications of human parthenogenetic stem cells (hpSCs) and the development and commercialization of cell-based research and cosmetic products. ISCO's core technology, parthenogenesis, results in the creation of pluripotent human stem cells from unfertilized oocytes (eggs) hence avoiding ethical issues associated with the use or destruction of viable human embryos. ISCO scientists have created the first parthenogenetic, homozygous stem cell line that can be a source of therapeutic cells for hundreds of millions of individuals of differing genders, ages and racial background with minimal immune rejection after transplantation. hpSCs offer the potential to create the first true stem cell bank, UniStemCell. ISCO also produces and markets specialized cells and growth media for therapeutic research worldwide through its subsidiary Lifeline Cell Technology (www.lifelinecelltech.com), and stem cell-based skin care products through its subsidiary Lifeline Skin Care (www.lifelineskincare.com). More information is available at http://www.internationalstemcell.com.

To receive ongoing corporate communications via email, visit: http://www.b2i.us/irpass.asp?BzID=1468&to=ea&s=0

To like our Facebook page or follow us on Twitter for company updates and industry related news, visit: http://www.facebook.com/InternationalStemCellCorporation and http://www.twitter.com/intlstemcell

The rest is here:
International Stem Cell Corporation Announces Significant Progress Towards Clinical Development

A panel at the Harvard Law School Wednesday discussed the ethical debate over the use of embryonic stem cells in the United States, focusing on the burgeoning controversy surrounding the role of stem cell therapy in medical tourism.

Medical tourism, in which patients travel internationally to gain access to specific health care services, has become increasingly common, panelists said. They said that reasons for medical tourism range from basic hip replacement surgery to black market organ sales. As most stem cell therapies are not approved in the United States, numerous patients are going abroad to countries like China and Russia where treatment is legal.

Panelist I. Glenn Cohen, an assistant professor at the Law School, said that it was probable that a Chinese stem cell facility performs several hundred thousand of these treatments yearly. He said that numerous celebrities, including football quarterback Peyton Manning, have reportedly traveled abroad to receive stem cell treatment not approved by the FDA.

A number of facilities claim to use stem cells to cure a wide array of diseases. University of Alberta law professor Timothy Caulfield, another panelist, pointed out that a simple Google search leads potential patients to a plethora of websites which claim that diseases such as autism and cancer can be cured through stem cell therapy.

Its being offered as routine, its being offered as safe, its being offered as effective, Caulfield said, citing his own 2008 study on the subject, Of course, none of them being offered matched what the scientific literature said.

According to American history professor Jill Lepore, the hyper-acceleration of enthusiasm for stem cell therapy is reminiscent of a century ago when science journalism and government funding for science research began to blossom. Lepore pointed out how public excitement over scientific procedures has affected society in the past, popularizing cryonics research and the work of Eugene Steinach, who claimed his vasectomy operation reversed the aging process.

Panelists said that one issue with stem cell tourism is the number of health risks associated with such procedures, citing a number of instances where stem cell therapy caused serious harm.

They also noted that public discussion about stem cell therapy has been markedly positive, lending an air of legitimacy to stem cell therapy that hasnt been validated by research.

Articles criticizing stem cell tourism, on the other hand, have generally received a less favorable response. Caulfield told the audience that when he co-wrote an article in The Atlantic criticizing stem cell therapy, he was accused as being a nutball Canadian socialist bioethicist.

The panelists emphasized that more accurate information should be provided to the public regarding stem cell treatments.

Link:
Professors Critique Stem Cell Medical Tourism