ISCO to Present Data on Progress of Human Parthenogenetic Stem Cell Differentiation into Functional Liver Cells at the Annual Meeting of the American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases
International Stem Cell Corporation (OTCBB:ISCO), www.internationalstemcell.com, will present data on its progress toward producing human liver cells from immune-matched patient-specific parthenogenetic stem cells at The Liver Meeting®, the 61st Annual Meeting of the American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases (ASSLD), in Boston, MA from October 29 – November 2, 2010.
ISCO will present to a number of the world's leading liver specialists, a new method of obtaining highly enriched cultures of differentiated cells from pluripotent human stem cells, based on a natural physiological process. A follow-on presentation will demonstrate that differentiation protocols previously developed for human embryonic stem cells can, with some modification, be effectively applied to human parthenogenetic stem cells. These findings will be presented as part of the 'Stem Cell Poster Session' on November 1, 2010, and are entitled, 'Hepatocyte-like cells derived from patient-specific human parthenogenetic stem cells possess functions of mature human hepatocytes including P450 activity" and, "Derivation of highly enriched populations of hepatocytes from various types of human pluripotent stem cells using a novel physiological method."
Commenting on these presentations, ISCO's CEO, Andrey Semechkin, PhD, said: "We are pleased our research team is able to present and discuss these important findings at this highly prestigious meeting of The American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases, one of the leading organizations in the U.S. specializing in the health of the liver and attended by more than 7,500 physicians and scientists."
ISCO's Director of Research and Therapeutic Development, Nikolay Turovets, PhD, stated, "Presenting these new discoveries at this meeting demonstrates the progress we have made towards producing hepatic cells using our parthenotes, and form part of our ongoing efforts to develop and publicize the unique benefits of our human parthenogenetic stem cell platform to the scientific community. Over the past year, our research group has also presented data to the International Society for Stem Cell Research (ISSCR), the 8th Annual Meeting and the Human SCNT Workshop conducted by the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine (CIRM) and the Medical Research Council (MRC)".
In addition, ISCO announced today the signing of an agreement with Explora BioLabs, a leading California-based CRO specializing in conducting high-quality pre-clinical in vivo studies. Based on the results presented at this conference, ISCO will be initiating a series of pre-clinical animal experiments to study the engraftment and in vivo maturation of these cells.
ISCO's Vice President, Simon Craw, PhD, said: "Demonstrating that our human parthenogenetic stem cells can truly differentiate into mature cells, as well as the initiation of these animal studies represents important achievements towards demonstrating the validity of creating a bank of immune-matched human pluripotent stem cells and their therapeutic derivatives that can be used in clinical studies and, ultimately, be a valuable health resource for the growing field of regenerative medicine."
ABOUT INTERNATIONAL STEM CELL CORPORATION (ISCO.OB)
International Stem Cell Corporation is a California-based biotechnology company focused on therapeutic and research products. ISCO's core technology, parthenogenesis, results in creation of pluripotent human stem cells from unfertilized oocytes (eggs). These proprietary cells avoid ethical issues associated with use or destruction of viable human embryos and, unlike most other major stem cell types, can be immune matched and be a source of therapeutic cells with minimal rejection after transplantation into hundreds of millions of individuals of differing racial groups. ISCO also produces and markets specialized cells and growth media for therapeutic research worldwide through its subsidiary, Lifeline Cell Technology, and is developing a line of cosmeceutical products via its subsidiary, Lifeline Skin Care. ISCO is advancing novel human stem cell-based therapies where cells have been proven to be efficacious but traditional small molecule and protein therapeutics have not. More information is available on ISCO's website, www.internationalstemcell.com.
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FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS
Statements pertaining to anticipated developments and therapeutic applications, the potential benefits of collaborations, affiliations, and other opportunities for the company and its subsidiaries, along with other statements about the future expectations, beliefs, goals, plans, or prospects expressed by management constitute forward-looking statements. Any statements that are not historical fact (including, but not limited to statements that contain words such as "will," "believes," "plans," "anticipates," "expects," "estimates,") should also be considered to be forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties, including, without limitation, risks inherent in the development and/or commercialization of potential products and the management of collaborations, uncertainty in the results of clinical trials or regulatory approvals, need and ability to obtain future capital, application of capital resources among competing uses, and maintenance of intellectual property rights. Actual results may differ materially from the results anticipated in these forward-looking statements and as such should be evaluated together with the many uncertainties that affect the company's business, particularly those mentioned in the cautionary statements found in the company's Securities and Exchange Commission filings. The company disclaims any intent or obligation to update forward-looking statements.
Key Words: Stem cells, parthenogenesis, biotechnology
International Stem Cell Corporation
Ken Aldrich, Chairman
1-760-940-6383
kaldrich@intlstemcell.com
or
Nikolay Turovets, PhD
nturovets@intlstemcell.com
