Patents Pending
Stem Cell Sciences plc
14 June 2006
14 June 2006
(Stem Cell Sciences plc., AIM: STEM)
Stem Cell pioneers confirm patents pending for two dramatic advances
in the efficiency of cloning stem Cells
Stem Cell Sciences plc (SCS), the first scientific team to prove therapeutic
cloning is possible in mammalian species, today acknowledged two reports, by
academic scientists from the University of Edinburgh and Massachusetts Institute
of Technology (MIT), which validate proprietary SCS technologies for improving
the efficiency of therapeutic cloning, or so-called "cell reprogramming".
In a significant report, published in today's edition June 14th of the journal
Nature, Professor Austin Smith and colleagues at the University of Edinburgh
conclusively demonstrate that the candidate pluripotency gene "Nanog", named
after Tir nan Og the mythological Celtic land of the ever young, can indeed play
a dominant role in reprogramming tissue cells into an embryonic stem cell state
without the need for generating an embryo.
Dr Mountford, Chief Executive Officer of SCS, the exclusive licensees of the
technology, said, "This very exciting research demonstrates the speed with which
SCS cell reprogramming technology is developing and further validates the
growing asset base SCS holds in the field of human cell-based regenerative
medicines. It represents a major step forward towards reprogramming adult cells
without the need to make human embryos".
The University of Edinburgh discovery comes hot on the heals of another
significant cloning break through, published by MIT researchers working in
collaboration with Professor Smith's team, in the May 2006 edition of the
journal Stem Cells. This earlier report demonstrates that another exclusively
licensed SCS technology, the recently announced Neural Stem (NS) cell,
dramatically improves to levels as high as 50% -100% the efficiency of deriving
new embryonic stem cell lines via reprogramming through the production of
embryos as per Dolly the sheep.
Commenting on the research, Dr. Peter Mountford President and CEO of SCS, said
"The radical improvement in the efficiency of cloning new stem cell lines from
normal body cells will no doubt fuel research efforts to show that therapeutic
cloning is achievable for human cells. While SCS is not pursuing this objective,
we do expect that this validation of our technology will generate new
out-licensing opportunities for SCS with companies wishing to use the cells to
engineer animal models of human disease".
- Ends -
For further information, please contact:
Stem Cell Sciences plc (Edinburgh, UK)
Peter Mountford, Chief Executive + 44 131 662 9829
Weber Shandwick Square Mile (London, UK) +44 207 067 0700
James White
Weber Shandwick Worldwide (San Francisco, USA) +1 415 248 3433
Miriam Mason
Notes to Editors:
Stem Cell Sciences plc (SCS) is a global biotechnology company focused on the
development of stem cell technologies. The Company has established a leading
intellectual property (IP) and technology portfolio that enables the commercial
application of stem cells in pharmaceutical and biotechnology drug discovery,
providing the Company with an early-stage revenue stream. In the longer term,
the Company is developing regenerative, cell-based therapies.
Stem Cell Sciences has four business units focused on key sustainable business
strategies.
SC Proven provides serum free, cell culture media (liquid formulations) and
reagents that enable the growth and differentiation of stem cells for basic
research and drug discovery purposes. The first commercially available product,
a mouse embryonic stem cell growth medium, has been exclusively licensed for
manufacture and marketing to Chemicon, a division of Serologicals Inc.
SC Licensing licenses SCS proprietary technologies, such as Internal Ribosome
Entry Site (IRES) and Stem Cell Selection, for application in laboratory-based
research and discovery. Current licenses for IRES are in place with Pfizer, GSK,
Sanofi Aventis, Deltagen Inc. Lexicon Genetics Inc and others.
SC Services will provide specialised stem cell production for basic research and
drug discovery, including high-throughput applications.
SC Therapies goal is to develop safe and effective cell-based therapies for
currently incurable diseases. The first programme is being undertaken by SCS'
Japanese affiliate, which recently announced the exclusive licensing of human
multipotent tissue stem cells (hMADS) for therapeutic purposes. SCS KK plans to
conduct initial preclinical studies to evaluate their potential application in
the treatment of Duchene's Muscular Dystrophy.
SCS plc is a global Company with operations in the UK, Australia, and via its
associate company in Japan. Each company is affiliated with a regional centre of
academic excellence facilitating the global commercialisation of new IP and cell
lines. These include the Institute of Stem Cell Research (ISCR), Edinburgh, UK,
RIKEN Centre for Development Biology, Kobe, Japan and the Australian Stem Cell
Centre, Melbourne, Australia.
SCS, which listed on the London Alternative Investment Market (AIM: STEM) in
July 2005, was founded in 1994 to commercialise findings from the ISCR and
Monash University, Melbourne, Australia. The Company is a participant in two
research projects under the European Union's Framework Six Programme for
Research and Technology Development and is a contributor to the UK Stem Cell
Initiative.
This information is provided by RNS
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