International Stem Cell Corp (OTCBB: ISCO), a biotechnology company focused on therapeutic biomedical research and cosmeceutical products, operating in the same industry as companies like Geron Corporation (Nasdaq: GERN) and Advanced Cell Technology Inc. (OTCBB: ACTC), aims to become the premier supplier of human cells and cell based products to the rapidly growing regenerative medicine industry.
International Stem Cell Corp (OTCBB: ISCO) specializes in manufacturing pluripotent human “partheno-genetic” stem cells that can be converted into any of the many specific types of cells that will be needed as regenerative medicine moves from the laboratory to the hospital or physician’s office.ISCO’s cells have the same kind of ability to become any specific cell that might be needed for therapy as do the cells used by competitors like Geron Corporation (Nasdaq: GERN) and Advanced Cell Technology Inc. (OTCBB: ACTC). Unlike the cells used by these competitors, however, ISCO’s cells are not obtained from fertilized embryos that might otherwise mature into a human child. Instead, they are derived from un-fertilized human eggs that would otherwise be destroyed and have no capacity to become a human child. Thus, ISCO’s parthenogenetic stem cells have removed a major ethical barrier to the use of the most prolific class of stem cells available to science today. With its patent on using the parthenogenesis process to make the stem cells, the company plans to establish partnerships, collaborations and licensing agreements with larger pharmaceutical companies to eventually unlock significant shareholder value.
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International Stem Cell Corporation (OTCBB:ISCO), www.internationalstemcell.com, announced today the following near-term events as part of its ongoing efforts to increase scientific awareness of the Company, its proprietary Parthenogenic Stem Cell Lines, and their potential uses in research and therapy:
Kenneth Aldrich, Chairman of ISCO, will participate in two panel discussions regarding biotech funding and exit strategies at the "Cell and Gene Therapy Forum 2010" in Washington DC on January 25 and 26, 2010 (www.phacilitate.co.uk/pages/cgtherapy/).
Brian Lundstrom, President of ISCO, will present the company and its Asian partnering opportunities in cell culture products, cornea transplantation and universal stem cells at "BIO Asia Partnering" in Tokyo on January 26, 2010. (http://bioasia.bio.org/opencms/bioasia/2010/).
Mr. Aldrich will provide a webinar on ISCO's strategy and 2010 plans on February 5, 2010. Participation details will be available on the company's web site before the event and the web cast will be posted on the site afterward.
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). 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 sexes, ages and racial groups. This offers the potential to create the first true stem cell bank, UniStemCell™, while avoiding the ethical issue of using fertilized eggs. ISCO also produces and markets specialized cells and growth media for therapeutic research worldwide through its subsidiary Lifeline Cell Technology. More information is available at ISCO's website, www.internationalstemcell.com.
FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS: Statements pertaining to anticipated future financial and/or operating results, future growth in research, technology, clinical development and potential joint venture and other opportunities for the company and its subsidiary, 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, 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 (OTCBB:ISCO) has received the third $1 million tranche of an anticipated private equity financing of up to $5 million to be funded over the next several months. The total amount of the financing will allow the Company to move forward with the construction of its new cGMP cell culture facility and to continue its therapeutic research, including ongoing pre-clinical trials. The money will also be allocated to fund equipment, product development and marketing requirements to increase revenues in the Company's subsidiary, Lifeline Cell Technology, which makes and sells specialty cells and growth media. ISCO is the creator and developer of a new class of stem cells that remove two of the greatest barriers to the therapeutic use of stem cells: 1) immune rejection and 2) the ethical issues that surround the use of embryonic stem cells. ISCO's technology, called "parthenogenesis," results in the creation of cell lines that may allow cells from a single donor to be immune-matched to hundreds of millions of people - thus reducing the dangers of immune rejection. ISCO's parthenogenetic stem cells come from unfertilized human eggs, thus avoiding ethical issues associated with embryonic stem cells. To help promote therapeutic research, ISCO makes its stem cells available to qualified researchers worldwide.
To subscribe to receive ongoing corporate communications please click on the following link: http://www.b2i.us/irpass.asp?BzID=1468&to=ea&s=0. For more news and information on International Stem Cell Corporation please visit www.IRGnews.com/coi/ISCO where you can find the CEO's video, a fact sheet on the company, investor presentations, and more. ABOUT INTERNATIONAL STEM CELL CORPORATION (ISCO.OB): International Stem Cell Corporation is a California biotechnology company focused on developing therapeutic and research products. ISCO's technology, Parthenogenesis, results in the creation of pluripotent human stem cell lines from unfertilized human eggs. ISCO scientists have created the first Parthenogenetic homozygous stem cell line (phSC-Hhom-4) that can be a source of therapeutic cells that will minimize immune rejection after transplantation into hundreds of millions of individuals of differing sexes, ages and racial groups. These advancements offer the potential to create the first true "Stem Cell Bank" and address ethical issues by eliminating the need to use or destroy fertilized embryos. ISCO also produces and markets specialized cells and growth media worldwide for therapeutic research through its subsidiary Lifeline Cell Technology. For more information, visit the ISCO website at: www.internationalstemcell.com. FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS: Statements pertaining to anticipated future financial and/or operating results, future growth in research, technology, clinical development and potential joint venture and other opportunities for the company and its subsidiary, 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, 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
"This is a mutually beneficial relationship between two companies that believe in the development, use, and sale of human cells as the most important and biologically relevant reagents for experimental systems," said Dr. Erik Schwiebert, CEO of DBM, Inc. "Lifeline Cell Tech is also our first commercial client and these contracts provide a wonderful opportunity for our company to generate knowledge about human cell physiology as well as early revenue."
"We agree that human cells are critically important in-vitro models to assure drug safety and conduct basic research," said ISCO President and Lifeline Cell Technology CEO Jeffrey Janus. "DiscoveryBioMed's proven expertise in assay development combined with Lifeline's expertise in producing optimized human adult and stem cell products will certainly result in powerful research tools."
In addition to these introductory interactions, DBM and Lifeline Cell Tech are developing a mutual SBIR grant proposal on the use of multiple human cell cultures derived from different tissues as an important in vitro platform for testing pollutant, candidate therapeutics and existing drugs for toxicity against cells in a variety of human tissues.
ABOUT DISCOVERYBIOMED, INC.
DiscoveryBioMed, Inc. is a life sciences and biotechnology company that engages in R&D and services work in cell engineering and production and drug discovery. The company is located within Innovation Depot in Birmingham. Using physiologically relevant cell culture models preferably derived from normal and diseased adult human cells and tissues, it focuses on finding therapeutic compounds for a variety of human diseases. It also applies this custom human cell-based approach to its "fee-for-service" support to researchers in allied areas and currently serves clients both locally in Alabama as well as in 8 other states in the US currently. For more information, visit the DBM website at www.discoverybiomed.com.
ABOUT INTERNATIONAL STEM CELL CORPORATION (ISCO.OB)
International Stem Cell Corporation is a California biotechnology company focused on developing therapeutic and research products. ISCO's technology, Parthenogenesis, results in the creation of pluripotent human stem cell lines from unfertilized human eggs. ISCO scientists have created the first Parthenogenetic homozygous stem cell line (phSC-Hhom-4) that can be a source of therapeutic cells that will minimize immune rejection after transplantation into hundreds of millions of individuals of differing sexes, ages and racial groups. These advancements offer the potential to create the first true "Stem Cell Bank" and address ethical issues by eliminating the need to use or destroy fertilized embryos. ISCO also produces and markets specialized cells and growth media worldwide for therapeutic research through its subsidiary Lifeline Cell Technology. For more information, visit the ISCO website at: www.internationalstemcell.com.
For more news and information on International Stem Cell Corporation, please visit www.IRGnews.com/coi/ISCO where you can find the CEO's video, a fact sheet on the company, investor presentations, and more.
FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS
Statements pertaining to anticipated future financial and/or operating results, future growth in research, technology, clinical development and potential joint venture and other opportunities for the company and its subsidiary, 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, 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.
Article Details ISCO's Solutions To Ethical And Immune Rejection Issues
International Stem Cell Corporation (OTCBB: ISCO) (www.internationalstemcell.com), the first company to perfect a method of creating human "parthenogenetic" stem cells from unfertilized eggs, has been featured in the January 31, 2009, edition of The Economist, the authoritative weekly publication focusing on international politics and business news and opinion.
The article, titled "Embryonic Stem Cells: Can I Serve You Now?," details how ISCO's unique parthenogenetic approach helps resolve two of the conundrums that have long shadowed stem cell research: ethical issues and immune rejection difficulties. "ISCO has found a way of producing embryonic-like stem cells from unfertilized eggs. The egg is chemically stimulated to create a group of cells that form a non-viable (and unfertilized) 'embryo' . . . something that could not be implanted into a woman's womb and produce a child. Nonetheless, the cells it contains have the same characteristics as stem cells. Besides the ethical advantages this procedure has, it could also have medical ones. Because lines of stem cells created in this way have only one parent, they are immunologically simpler than normal embryonic cells—in other words they have a smaller variety of the proteins that trigger immune rejection."
"We are very pleased to see coverage of this kind in a publication as venerable and prestigious as The Economist," says International Stem Cell Corporation Chairman and CEO Kenneth Aldrich. "For a variety of reasons, it is clear that there is renewed interest in the stem cell research arena, and we are grateful to The Economist for allowing us to communicate our story."
The Economist offers timely reporting, concise commentary and comprehensive analysis of global news in its weekly magazine and online at economist.com. With objective authority, clarity and wit, The Economist presents the world's political, business, scientific, technological and cultural affairs and the connections between them. Edited in London since 1843, The Economist has a worldwide print circulation of more than 1.3 million and three million monthly visitors to www.Economist.com.
ABOUT INTERNATIONAL STEM CELL CORPORATION (ISCO.OB)
International Stem Cell Corporation is a California biotechnology company focused on developing therapeutic and research products. ISCO's technology, Parthenogenesis, results in the creation of pluripotent human stem cell lines from unfertilized human eggs. ISCO scientists have created the first Parthenogenetic homozygous stem cell line (phSC-Hhom-4) that can be a source of therapeutic cells that will minimize immune rejection after transplantation into hundreds of millions of individuals of differing sexes, ages and racial groups. These advancements offer the potential to create the first true "Stem Cell Bank" and address ethical issues by eliminating the need to use or destroy fertilized embryos. ISCO also produces and markets specialized cells and growth media worldwide for therapeutic research through its subsidiary Lifeline Cell Technology. For more information, visit the ISCO website at: www.internationalstemcell.com.
Statements pertaining to anticipated future financial and/or operating results, future growth in research, technology, clinical development and potential joint venture and other opportunities for the company and its subsidiary, 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, 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.
OCEANSIDE, Calif., Jan 13, 2009 (BUSINESS WIRE) -- International Stem Cell Corporation(OTCBB: ISCO) has created layered human tissue from its unique parthenogenetic stem cells and transplanted this tissue into animals in pre-clinical trials to establish a potential new treatment for human retinal diseases, such as macular degeneration or retinitis pigmentosa.
"Intact layers of retinal progenitor cells have been shown to restore lost visual responses in several retinal degeneration rodent models," said Dr. Hans Keirstead, Co-Director of the Sue and Bill Gross Stem Cell Research Center at the University of California, Irvine. "Thus, we are developing intact retinal layers derived from International Stem Cell's human parthenogenetic stem cells which could become a sustainable, FDA-approved therapeutic supply for patients with retinal degenerative diseases."
ISCO's human parthenogenetic stem cells have the potential to treat human disease yet possess key medical and ethical advantages over other kinds of stem cell products. They can be matched to common immune types and thus reduce the chance of transplant rejection among large segments of the population. Because they are created from unfertilized human eggs, they do not require the destruction of human embryos.
"We are aggressively pushing forward safe treatments for human diseases using parthenogenetic stem cells," said Jeffrey Janus, President of International Stem Cell. "If we are successful in this work, our next step is to manufacture this layered human tissue for further tests, including human trials. This illustrates the strengths of combining scientific collaborations with outside researchers such as Dr. Keirstead with ISCO's science and cell manufacturing expertise."
For more information, visit the ISCO website at: www.internationalstemcell.com.
To subscribe to receive ongoing corporate communications please click on the following link: http://www.b2i.us/irpass.asp?BzID=1468&to=ea&s=0.
ABOUT INTERNATIONAL STEM CELL CORPORATION (ISCO.OB):
International Stem Cell Corporation is a California biotechnology company focused on developing therapeutic and research products. ISCO's technology, Parthenogenesis, results in the creation of pluripotent human stem cell lines from unfertilized human eggs. ISCO scientists have created the first Parthenogenetic homozygous stem cell line (phSC-Hhom-4) that can be a source of therapeutic cells that will minimize immune rejection after transplantation into hundreds of millions of individuals of differing sexes, ages and racial groups. These advancements offer the potential to create the first true "Stem Cell Bank" and address ethical issues by eliminating the need to use or destroy fertilized embryos. ISCO also produces and markets specialized cells and growth media worldwide for therapeutic research through its subsidiary Lifeline Cell Technology. For more information, visit the ISCO website at: www.internationalstemcell.com.
FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS:
Statements pertaining to anticipated future financial and/or operating results, future growth in research, technology, clinical development and potential joint venture and other opportunities for the company and its subsidiary, 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, 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.
