San Diego North Coast Times Publishes ISCO Eye Surgery Trial Article

International Stem Cell Corp. Joins Eye Surgery Trial

By: BRADLEY J. FIKES - Staff Writer

OCEANSIDE -- Shares of International Stem Cell Corp. rose nearly 19 percent Monday after the company said it will supply corneal cells for human trials in an effort to improve vision correction surgery.

The Oceanside-based company's stock closed at 95 cents per share, up 15 cents for the day.

It is producing the corneal cells from unfertilized, or parthenogenic human egg cells, said Jeff Krstich, chief executive of the company, on Monday. These cells act like surface -- or epithelial -- cells for the cornea, the clear tissue in front of the eye.

Dr. Paul H. Chen is conducting the trial with the UCSD Shiley Eye Center, the Burnham Institute in La Jolla, the University of Michigan and other centers.

The trial will test whether adding the corneal cells after a laser surgery called photorefractive keratectomy, or PRK, can speed healing and reduce pain. Chen is also testing parthenogenically produced keratinocytes, a type of skin cell, Krstich said.

PRK is one popular kind of operation to correct vision. During the surgery the surface cells are removed. The procedure can cause pain and healing takes longer than another popular corrective surgery, LASIK, which preserves the surface cells, Krstich said.

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Source: http://www.nctimes.com/articles/2008/01/15/business/news/7_10_411_14_08.prt