Category Archives: Stem Cells

CARLSBAD, CA--(Marketwire - Dec 7, 2012) - International Stem Cell Corporation ( OTCQB : ISCO ) (www.internationalstemcell.com), a biotechnology company focused on the development of therapeutic products using parthenogenetic stem cells, heralds the recent decision by the German Federal Court of Justice, in the Greenpeace vs Brstle patent case, which may allow ISCO to take a leading position in the European market.

This important ruling strengthens ISCO's position that parthenogenetic technology may be an acceptable method of producing banks of human pluripotent stem cell (hpSC) lines and derivatives for the commercial therapeutic markets in Europe.Under the ruling, patent restrictions will remain on other stem cell technologies, including embryonic stem cells, that require the destruction of human embryos.The ruling is especially timely in light of ISCO's recent announcement of the creation of new clinical grade human parthenogenetic stem cell lines in the United States.

Leading stem cell biologist Professor Albrecht Mller, of the Center for Experimental Molecular Medicine, University of Wrzburg, Germany, comments, "Being able to patent cells and cell products is key to building a successful stem cell based biotechnology industry in Europe.We have already shown that hpSCs have tremendous potential to treat neurological diseases, and this new ruling makes hpSC and their derivatives significantly more attractive for the European market."

Dr. Andrey Semechkin, CEO and Co-Chairman of ISCO, continues, "This ruling may provide ISCO with a distinct advantage in being able to receive patent protection in the European Union.However, because Europe's highest court, the European Court of Justice, may re-evaluate earlier guidelines based on this resolution, there may be further changes.Nevertheless, it is clear that this decision indicates that European courts are focusing on fertilization as a factor when considering the patentability of stem cell derived products."

About International Stem Cell Corporation

International Stem Cell Corporation (ISCO) is focused on the therapeutic applications of human parthenogenetic stem cells (hpSCs) 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) hence avoiding ethical issues associated with the use or destruction of viable human embryos.ISCO scientists have created the first parthenogenetic, homozygous stem cell line that can be a source of therapeutic cells for hundreds of millions of individuals of differing genders, ages and racial background with minimal immune rejection after transplantation. hpSCs offer 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 (www.lifelinecelltech.com), and stem cell-based skin care products through its subsidiary Lifeline Skin Care (www.lifelineskincare.com). More information is available at http://www.internationalstemcell.com.

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German Court Decision May Strengthen International Stem Cell Corporation's Position in European Market

Plants grow upward from a tip of undifferentiated tissue called the shoot apical meristem. As the tip extends, stem cells at the center of the meristem divide and increase in numbers. But the cells on the periphery differentiate to form plant organs, such as leaves and flowers. In between these two layers, a group of boundary cells go into a quiescent state and form a barrier that not only separates stem cells from differentiating cells, but eventually forms the borders that separate the plant's organs.

Because each plant's form and shape is determined by organ formation and organ boundary creation, elucidating the underlying mechanisms that govern these functions could help scientists design the architecture of crop plants to better capture light and ultimately produce more crop yield with less input. New research from two teams led by Carnegie's Zhiyong Wang and Kathryn Barton focuses on the role of the crucial plant hormone brassinosteroid in the creation of plant-shoot architecture. Their work is published by Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences during the week of December 3.

Like all organisms, plant growth and development is regulated by internally produced chemical signals, including hormones like brassinosteroid, which is found throughout the plant kingdom. The brassinosteroid signaling pathway is involved in regulating more than 1,000 plant genes. Mutant plants that are deficient in brassinosteroid that are grown in the dark show features of plants grown in the light. They also have defects at many phases of the plant life cycle, including reduced seed germination, dwarfism, and sterility.

The new study lead by Wang and Barton uncovered yet another role of brassinosteroid: the formation of boundaries between organs. Plants made hypersensitive to brassinosteroid displayed fused organs.

The team included lead author's Carnegie's Joshua Gendron and Jiang-Shu Liu, as well as Min Fan, Mingyi Bai, and Stephan Wenkel, from Carnegie, and Patricia Springer from the University of California Riverside.

Their investigations showed that activation of the brassinosteroid pathway represses a group of genes called the cup-shaped cotyledon, or CUC family, which is responsible for organ boundary formation. Using sophisticated techniques the team demonstrated that the protein in the brassinosteroid pathway that is responsible for binding to DNA and, in this case, for inhibiting CUC genes, is present at high levels in the meristem's undifferentiated stem cells and developing organ primordia, but very low in the boundary cells, suggesting that different levels of brassinosteroid activity contribute to the opposite growth behavior of these three types of cells.

"This work links the plant steroids to growth and development, organ boundary development, providing a link between the physiology of the plant and its architectural design," Wang and Barton said.

Journal reference: Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences

Provided by Carnegie Institution for Science

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Plant organ development breakthrough

Scientists at Cambridge University in the UK have found a way to make stem cells out of blood. An article in the university's Research News section says that the discovery increases "the hope that scientists could one day use stem cells made from patients own cells to treat cardiovascular disease." The research was in the journal Stem Cells: Translational Medicine.

The study outlines a method in which scientists can get the cells they need to make "induced pluripotent stem cells" from a routine blood sample. Until now, researchers have not been able to locate an appropriate cell in blood that could be turned into a stem cell. Instead, they have made, and often make cells from skin or other tissues, which can require a surgical procedure such as a biopsy.

Dr Amer Rana and his colleagues at the University of Cambridge grew patients blood in the lab and isolated what are known as "late outgrowth endothelial progenitor cells." The Research News article quotes Dr. Rana as saying

We are excited to have developed a practical and efficient method to create stem cells from a cell type found in blood. Tissue biopsies are undesirable particularly for children and the elderly whereas taking blood samples is routine for all patients.Researchers can freeze and store the blood cells, and then turn them into iPS cells at a later stage, rather than having to transform them as soon as they are sourced, as is the case for other cell types used previously. This will have tremendous practical value prolonging the use by date of patient samples.

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Stem Cells From Blood Sample

ScienceDaily (Dec. 3, 2012) Researchers have derived dopaminergic neurons from bone marrow stem cells in monkeys.

Parkinson's disease is a degenerative disorder of the central nervous system that is characterized by tremors, rigidity, slowness of movement, and difficulty walking. It is caused by loss of the neurons that produce the neurotransmitter dopamine (known as dopaminergic neurons). One of the primary goals in Parkinson's disease research is to develop a replacement for dopaminergic neurons.

In a new study, researchers led by Takuya Hayashi at the RIKEN Center for Molecular Imaging Science in Kobe, Japan, derived dopaminergic neurons from bone marrow stem cells in monkeys. The cells were retrieved during a standard bone marrow aspiration and then treated with growth factors that directed the stem cells to become dopaminergic neurons. The monkeys that donated the stem cells were treated with a chemical to induce Parkinson's disease and then received a transplant of the new dopaminergic neurons that had been derived from their own bone marrow stem cells. Monkeys that received the transplant showed significant improvement in motor defects.

This study demonstrates that dopaminergic neurons derived from adult bone marrow stem cells can be safely used to improve motor function in Parkinson's disease in monkeys.

The research is published in the Journal of Clinical Investigation.

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The above story is reprinted from materials provided by Journal of Clinical Investigation.

Note: Materials may be edited for content and length. For further information, please contact the source cited above.

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Stem cell-derived dopaminergic neurons rescue motor defects in Parkinsonian monkeys