Tuesday, September 28, 2010

International Stem Cell Corporation Reports Significant Progress Towards Creation of the First Bank of Immune-Matched Human Parthenogenetic Stem Cells

International Stem Cell Corporation (OTCBB:ISCO), www.internationalstemcell.com, announced today that its oocyte collection and activation protocol has received the approval of an Institutional Review Board (IRB). IRB review and approval is a Federal requirement for all studies enrolling human subjects, and ensures appropriate subject safety and monitoring to protect subjects from unnecessary medical risks. 'Obtaining IRB approval for our oocyte collection and activation protocol is a major step forward towards the goal of building a viable bank of human parthenogenetic stem cells,' said Dr. Simon Craw, Vice President of ISCO.

ISCO's breakthrough discoveries have resulted in unique stem cells carrying distinct advantages over other human pluripotent stem cells. ISCO uses unfertilized eggs (oocytes) to create human 'parthenogenetic' stem cells (hpSCs). Like human embryonic stem cells (hESCs), 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 hESCs, hpSCs can be created in a form such that they can be immunologically matched to millions of individuals. This makes possible, for the first time, the establishment of a bank containing a manageable number of stem cell lines immune matched to a large patient population.

ISCO also announced that Prof. M. Kalichman of the University of California San Diego and Director of the San Diego Research Ethics Consortium has been engaged to provide help in creating an effective system for the ethical review of ISCO's donor recruitment processes including facilitating Stem Cell Research Oversight (SCRO) committee review and approval. SCRO committee review involves the analysis and approval of the scientific rationale, including any ethical considerations associated with stem cell research. The SCRO committee membership is mandated to include an ethicist, an assisted reproductive technology expert, appropriate scientific expertise, a patient advocate and a non-scientific member of the public.

Prof. Kalichman said, 'I look forward to working with International Stem Cell Corporation to help with both identifying and recommending solutions to the challenges of conducting ethically responsible research with human stem cells.'

These achievements mark major milestones along ISCO's strategic path of leveraging its discoveries and intellectual property to create a bank of immune matched pluripotent human stem cells and their therapeutic derivatives that can be used for clinical research and ultimately as a valuable medical resource to 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 at ISCO's website, www.internationalstemcell.com.

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FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS

Statements pertaining to anticipated technological 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," "should," "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, 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 these forward-looking statements.

Key Words: Stem Cells, Biotechnology, Parthenogenesis

International Stem Cell Corporation
Kenneth C. Aldrich, Chairman
760-940-6383
kaldrich@intlstemcell.com
or
Simon Craw, PhD, Vice President
760-940-6383
sc@intlstemcell.com

Monday, September 13, 2010

Kenneth Aldrich, Chairman and Co-Founder of International Stem Cell Corporation will be making two public appearances this week on behalf of ISCO.


On Monday, September 13, 2010, Mr. Aldrich will be speaking as part of a panel at the Stem Cells USA & Regenerative Medicine Congress in Philadelphia, discussing the topic, "Autologous vs. Allogeneic Business Models".

On Wednesday, September 15, 2010 at 9:35AM EDT, Mr. Aldrich will present at the Rodman and Renshaw Annual Global Investment Conference in New York. The webcast can be viewed live at: http://www.wsw.com/webcast/rrshq18/isco.ob. The presentation will be archived and viewable at the same link for 90 days. After the Rodman and Renshaw Conference, a link to the presentation will also be posted to the ISCO website, www.internationalstemcell.com.

Monday, September 6, 2010

A Primer on the Use of Stem Cells in Ophthalmology by Irving J. Arons

An extremely comprehensive article about stem cell programs in opthalmology by Irving J. Arons

A Primer on the Use of Stem Cells in Ophthalmology
by Irving J. Arons


I recently came across an interesting news release from International Stem Cell Corporation
(ISCO) announcing that it had formed a new business unit, Cytovis, to focus on stem cell programs in ophthalmology, including CytoCor for the cornea and CytoRet for the retina.

That got me thinking about how little I knew about what was going on in stem cell research in ophthalmology, despite having written about two developments in the field, the London Project to Cure Blindness and the University of California Irvine (UCI) program to develop an artificial retina based on stem cell research.

I decided to become better informed by taking a closer look at what was happening in this field, and presenting that story.


Introduction
Commenting on a EuroRetina Meeting held earlier in 2008, John Morrow of Newport Biotech Consultants noted, as reported by Ophthalmology Times Europe in September 2008, “Stem Cells are looked upon as either an ethical train wreck or the gateway to the alleviation of human illness, depending on which side of the political spectrum one resides. This unfortunate notoriety has resulted in unprecedented coverage in the media, but this has not done much to advance the cause of this technology. Yet recent ophthalmologic research suggests that the medical applications of stem cells hold notable promise for the treatment of ocular degenerative conditions and that realization of this potential may come about in the near future.”

I think Dr. Morrow’s thoughts eloquently sum up the subject. Stem cell research is politically charged but holds tremendous promise for the future, especially in ophthalmology.

What are Stem Cells?
Every organ and tissue in our bodies is made up of specialized cells that originally come from a pool of stem cells in the very early embryo (“embryonic stem cells”). Throughout our lives we rely to a much more limited degree on rare deposits of stem cells in certain areas of the body (“adult stem cells”) to regenerate organs and tissues that are injured or lost, such as our skin, our hair, our blood and the lining of our gut.

Stem cells are like a blank microchip that can be programmed to perform particular tasks. Under proper conditions, stem cells develop or “differentiate” into specialized cells that carry out a specific function, such as in the skin, muscle, liver, or in the eye. Additionally, stem cells can grow extensively without differentiating and give rise to more stem cells...

To read the full article, please visit - http://irvaronsjournal.blogspot.com/2010/09/primer-on-use-of-stem-cells-in.html