ISCO Scientists to Present Results of Recent Stem Cell Research on Central Nervous System and Liver Diseases at Annual Meeting of American Society of Gene and Cell Therapy
International Stem Cell Corporation (OTCBB: ISCO) announced today that two of its leading scientists, Vice President Dr. Ruslan Semechkin and Director of Research and Therapeutic Development Dr. Nikolay Turovets, will present the results of their most recent experiments on the therapeutic use of human parthenogenetic stem cells (hpSCs) at the 14th Annual Meeting of American Society of Gene and Cell Therapy in Seattle.
ISCO's breakthrough discoveries have resulted in a new type of pluripotent human stem cells with distinct advantages over other human pluripotent stem cells. ISCO uses unfertilized oocytes to create human "parthenogenetic" stem cells. Like embryonic stem cells, hpSCs are pluripotent, i.e. they have the capacity to become almost any cell type in the body, yet avoid ethical issues associated with use or destruction of viable human embryos. Unlike embryonic stem cells, hpSCs can be created in a form such that cells from a single donor can be immunologically matched to millions of individuals.
The data presented at the Seattle conference represents progress made in two specific areas: 1) the successful derivation of neuronal stem cell lines, which can potentially be used for treatment of degenerative diseases of the central nervous system (CNS), and 2) the differentiation of hpSCs towards liver cells and their progenitors.
Dr. Semechkin's oral presentation titled "Neural Stem Cells of Parthenogenetic Origin" will be on Thursday, May 19, 2011 at 4:15 pm.
Dr. Turovets poster presentation titled "An in vitro Analog of the Primitive Streak to Derive High-Purity Definitive Endoderm Lineages Uncontaminated with Undifferentiated Cells" will be on Saturday, May 21, 2011.
About International Stem Cell Corporation
International Stem Cell Corporation is focused on the therapeutic applications of human parthenogenetic stem cells 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). hpSCs avoid ethical issues associated with the use or destruction of viable human embryos. ISCO scientists have created the first parthenogenic, homozygous stem cell line that can be a source of therapeutic cells with minimal immune rejection after transplantation into hundreds of millions of individuals of differing genders, ages and racial background. This offers 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, and cell-based skin care products through its subsidiary Lifeline Skin Care. More information is available at www.internationalstemcell.com.
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International Stem Cell Corporation
760-940-6383
Ruslan Semechkin, PhD
Vice President, ISCO
CEO & President, Lifeline Skin Care
ras@intlstemcell.com
Or:
Nikolay Turovets, Ph.D.
Director, Research and Therapeutic Development
nturovets@intlstemcell.com
