Guess what...

For what it's worth, this is not approval in the sense that a product is approved for marketing to address a particular indication. Rather, it would seem that the sponsor's Investigational New Drug application has not been put on clinical hold, at least for now.

other surgical processes.

Uh-huh...

ping

other surgical processes.

Uh-huh...

Surgical processes that result in less than a 50% survival rate, it seems.

Try 0%

Did you notice the link below the article, to a company that sells fetal stem cell treatments? ( http://www.medra.com/ ) Run by an MD in Malibu, CA; but you have to get the "treatment" in the Dominican Republic. Already $$$ to be made...

Well, on most occasions one of the two (or more) patients walks away, but I agree with what you are saying, that the other one has had no "choice."

Did you notice the link below the article, to a company that sells fetal stem cell treatments?

I missed that.

UNITED STATES
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
WASHINGTON, D.C. 20549

FORM 8-K

CURRENT REPORT

Pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934


Date of Report (Date of Earliest Event Reported):		October 19, 2005

StemCells, Inc.
__________________________________________
(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)


Delaware	000-19871	94-3078125
_____________________ (State or other jurisdiction	_____________ (Commission	______________ (I.R.S. Employer
of incorporation)	File Number)	Identification No.)

3155 Porter Drive, Palo Alto, California		94304
_________________________________ (Address of principal executive offices)		___________ (Zip Code)


Registrant’s telephone number, including area code:		650.475.3100

Not Applicable
______________________________________________
Former name or former address, if changed since last report

Check the appropriate box below if the Form 8-K filing is intended to simultaneously satisfy the filing obligation of the registrant under any of the following provisions:

[  ]  Written communications pursuant to Rule 425 under the Securities Act (17 CFR 230.425)
[  ]  Soliciting material pursuant to Rule 14a-12 under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.14a-12)
[  ]  Pre-commencement communications pursuant to Rule 14d-2(b) under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.14d-2(b))
[  ]  Pre-commencement communications pursuant to Rule 13e-4(c) under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.13e-4(c))

Top of the Form

Item 8.01 Other Events.

On October 20, 2005, StemCells, Inc. announced that that it has received clearance from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to begin a Phase I safety and preliminary efficacy trial of the Company’s proprietary human neural stem cell product, HuCNS-SC™, to treat Batten disease. A copy of the press release is attached hereto as Exhibit 99.1.

Top of the Form

SIGNATURES

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned hereunto duly authorized.


	StemCells, Inc.

October 20, 2005	By:	Martin McGlynn

		Name: Martin McGlynn
		Title: President and CEO

Top of the Form

Exhibit Index



Exhibit No.		Description

99.1		press release


Company Contact:		Media Contact:
Rodney Young Chief Financial Officer (650) 475-3100 ext 105 irpr@stemcellsinc.com		Schwartz Communications, Inc. (781) 684-0770 or (415) 512-0770 stemcells@schwartz-pr.com

STEMCELLS, INC. RECEIVES FDA CLEARANCE TO INITIATE PHASE I CLINICAL TRIAL OF NEURAL STEM CELLS TO
TREAT BATTEN DISEASE

First-Ever FDA-Approved Trial to Transplant Human Neural Stem Cells

PALO ALTO, Calif., (October 20, 2005) – StemCells, Inc. (NASDAQ: STEM) today announced that it has received clearance from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to begin a Phase I safety and preliminary efficacy trial of the Company’s proprietary human neural stem cell product -HuCNS-SC^™- to treat Batten disease. Batten disease is a rare, fatal genetic disorder that affects the central nervous system of children. This is the first-ever FDA-approved clinical trial to use a purified composition of human neural stem cells as a potential therapeutic agent in humans.

“It is truly gratifying that the FDA is permitting this clinical trial to go forward,” said Martin McGlynn, President and Chief Executive Officer of StemCells, Inc. “This development is a noteworthy milestone not only for our Company, but also for the entire field of stem cell therapeutics. Most importantly, it offers hope to the children and families afflicted by this disease for which there is now no cure, and to the clinicians who are seeking a treatment for their patients.”

“Physicians have been essentially helpless to assist children suffering from Batten disease. This trial opens the possibility that in the future, we may be able to provide relief to our patients and their families from one of the cruelest and most devastating diseases,” said Dr. Gregory Enns, Assistant Professor of Pediatrics and Director of the Biochemical Genetics Program, Stanford University School of Medicine.

Dr. Stephen Huhn, Chief of Pediatric Neurosurgery at Packard Children’s Hospital at Stanford University, added, “Years of laboratory research are now moving into the clinic, and it is my fervent hope that the proposed neurosurgical intervention will provide some relief for the children with this terrible disease and for the families who care for them. I look forward to participating in the first trial of neural stem cell transplantation for a rare and fatal brain disorder in children that has no effective known treatment.”

About the Clinical Trial

The proposed Phase I trial is designed to evaluate the safety and preliminary efficacy of HuCNS-SC™ for the treatment of infantile and late-infantile neuronal ceroid lipofuscinosis (NCL), the most severe forms of a group of disorders commonly referred to as Batten disease. In addition to measuring the safety of HuCNS-SC, the trial will provide initial data on HuCNS-SC’s ability to affect the progression of the disease. Potential patients will be tested for eligibility and then evaluated for baseline disease status prior to transplantation of HuCNS-SC. Children enrolled in the study will be evaluated with standardized measures of development, cognition, behavior and language for one year following HuCNS-SC transplantation. The Company is committed to following the effects of this therapy long-term, so trial patients will also be asked to commit to a four-year follow-up study. The Company plans to seek Institutional Review Board (IRB) approval from a number of leading medical institutions, including the Stanford University School of Medicine.

About Batten Disease

Batten disease is named after the British pediatrician who first described the juvenile form of NCL in 1903. It is also known as Spielmeyer-Vogt-Sjogren-Batten disease. The name is now commonly used to encompass all three forms of NCL—infantile, late infantile and juvenile onset. All forms have the same basic cause—lack of a lysosomal enzyme—and have a similar progression and outcome. The different forms of NCL have traditionally been classified by age of onset. Now with genetic testing, the disease is more precisely classifiable in terms of mutations in the specific enzyme causing the disease. Children with Batten disease suffer seizures, progressive loss of motor skills, sight and mental capacity, eventually becoming blind, bedridden and unable to communicate. Today, Batten disease is always fatal.

In two subtypes of NCL, infantile and late infantile, the disorder is brought on by inherited mutations in the CLN1 gene, which codes for palmitoyl-protein thioesterase 1 (PPT1) or in the CLN2 gene, which codes for tripeptidyl peptidase I (TPP-I). The consequence of these mutations is either a defective or a missing enzyme that leads to accumulation of lipofuscin-like fluorescent inclusions in various cell types. Presumably, these non-degraded lysosomal substrates accumulate to the point where they interfere with normal cellular and tissue function and ultimately lead to the pathological manifestations of the disease. One way to treat the disease is to provide the brain with a replacement source of functional enzyme that can be taken up by the enzyme-deficient cells.

About HuCNS-SC™

StemCells’ human central nervous system stem cells (HuCNS-SC) are a somatic cell therapy product consisting of neural cells prepared under controlled conditions. Neural stem cells, a rare subset of brain cells, are isolated from the human fetal brain, purified, propagated, and tested; they are then frozen in cell banks from which HuCNS-SC doses can be prepared.

A property of HuCNS-SC is that they spread throughout the brain and produce both of the lysosomal enzymes missing in the subtypes of Batten disease being studied in the clinical trial. When HuCNS-SC is transplanted into the brain of a preclinical mouse model developed to mimic the human form of Infantile NCL, the enzyme level increases and continues to do so over time after the transplant. Thus, placement of HuCNS-SC in appropriate places in the brain provides the prospect of long-term delivery of the missing enzyme. The production of both enzymes by HuCNS-SC provides a scientific justification for enzyme replacement and cellular rescue in these two subtypes of Batten disease.

About StemCells, Inc.

StemCells, Inc. is a development stage biotechnology company focused on the discovery, development and commercialization of stem cell-based therapies to treat diseases of the nervous system, liver and pancreas. The Company’s stem cell programs seek to repair or repopulate neural or other tissue that has been damaged or lost as a result of disease or injury. StemCells is the first company to directly identify and isolate human neural stem cells from normal brain tissue. These stem cells are expandable into cell banks for therapeutic use, which demonstrates the feasibility of using normal, non-genetically modified cells as cell-based therapies. StemCells is the only publicly traded company solely focused on stem cell research and development and has more than 40 U.S. and 100 non-U.S. patents, as well as more than 100 patent applications pending worldwide. Further information about the Company is available on its web site at: www.stemcellsinc.com.

Apart from statements of historical facts, the text of this press release constitutes forward-looking statements regarding, among other things, the future business operations of StemCells, Inc. (the “Company”) and its ability to conduct clinical trials as well as its research and product development efforts. The forward-looking statements speak only as of the date of this news release. StemCells does not undertake to update any of these forward-looking statements to reflect events or circumstances that occur after the date hereof. Such statements reflect management’s current views and are based on certain assumptions that may or may not ultimately prove valid. The Company’s actual results may vary materially from those contemplated in the forward-looking statements due to risks and uncertainties to which the Company is subject, including uncertainty regarding whether a suitable site for the clinical trial will be identified, whether the required Institutional Review Board approval will be obtained for any site, and whether results obtained in the animal model of Infantile NCL will be able to be translated into treatment for human conditions; uncertainty as to whether the FDA will permit the Company to continue clinical testing in the Batten disease trial or in future clinical trials of proposed therapies for other diseases or conditions despite the novel and unproven nature of the Company’s technology; uncertainties regarding the Company’s ability to obtain the capital resources needed to continue its current research and development operations and to conduct the research, preclinical development and clinical trials necessary for regulatory approvals; uncertainty regarding the validity and enforceability of the Company’s patents; uncertainty as to whether HuCNS-SC™ and any products that may be generated in the future in the Company’s stem cell programs will prove safe and clinically effective and not cause tumors or other side effects; uncertainty as to whether the Company will achieve revenues from product sales or become profitable; and other factors that are described in Exhibit 99 to the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K titled “Cautionary Factors Relevant to Forward-Looking Statements.”

###

Investors > Corporate Governance > Board

Board

John J. Schwartz, Ph.D., Chairman of the Board, Principal, Quantum Strategies Management

John J. Schwartz, Ph.D., was elected to the Board of Directors of the Company in December 1998 and was elected Chairman of the Board at the same time. He is the former President and Chief Executive Officer of SyStemix, Inc. He is currently President of Quantum Strategies Management Company, a registered investment advisor located in Atherton, California. Prior to his positions at SyStemix, he served as Assistant Professor of Physics, and subsequently as Vice President and General Counsel, at Stanford University. Dr. Schwartz graduated from Harvard Law School in 1958 and received his Ph.D. degree in physics from the University of Rochester.

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Eric H. Bjerkholt, Senior VP and CFO of Sunesis Pharmaceuticals, Inc.

Mr. Bjerkholt is Senior Vice President and CFO of Sunesis Pharmaceuticals, Inc. At Sunesis, he leads the financial operations, public and investor relations, and treasury activities of the South San Francisco small molecule biopharmaceutical company. Before joining Sunesis, Mr. Bjerkholt served as Senior Vice President and CFO of IntraBiotics Pharmaceuticals, Inc., where he completed multiple financings. Earlier in his career, Mr. Bjerkholt co-founded LifeSpring Nutrition, Inc., a privately held nutraceutical company. From 1990 to 1997, Mr. Bjerkholt was an investment banker at J.P. Morgan & Co., Inc., where he founded its Western U.S. Healthcare Investment Banking Practice, leading many equity and financing transactions for biotechnology and other healthcare and life sciences companies. Mr. Bjerkholt holds an M.B.A. from Harvard Business School and a Cand. Oecon degree in economics and econometrics from the University of Oslo, Norway.

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Ricardo Levy, Ph.D., Chairman, Catalytica Energy Systems

Ricardo B. Levy, Ph.D. is Chairman of the Board of Catalytica Energy Systems, Inc., and has been a member of its Board of Directors since June 1995, when the company was formed as a subsidiary of Catalytica, Inc. He also served as director of Catalytica Pharmaceuticals Inc. from 1995 to 2000. Dr. Levy was a founder of Catalytica, Inc. in 1974, serving as Chief Operating Officer from 1974 until 1991 and President and Chief Executive Officer until December 2000, when Catalytica, Inc. and Catalytica Pharmaceuticals Inc. were sold to DSM N.V. Before founding Catalytica, Inc., Dr. Levy was a founding member of Exxon's chemical physics research team, and prior to that served as Chief Executive Officer of Sudamericana C.A. in Quito, Ecuador. He currently also serves on the Board of Directors of Pharmacopeia, Inc. and NovoDynamics, Inc. Dr. Levy holds an M.S. from Princeton University, a Ph.D. in chemical engineering from Stanford University and is an alumnus of Harvard University's Executive Management Program.

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Martin McGlynn, President and CEO of StemCells, Inc.

Martin McGlynn joined the company on January 15, 2001. Mr. McGlynn's experience includes several decades of international experience in the Life Sciences industry. Prior to joining StemCells, Inc., he was President and CEO of Pharmadigm, Inc., a privately held company in Salt Lake City, Utah, which is engaged in research and development in the fields of inflammation and genetic immunization. During his time at Pharmadigm, Mr. McGlynn took the company through four rounds of financing, raising in excess of $50 million in private and venture capital. Mr. McGlynn previously held positions as President of Anaquest Inc., the Pharmaceutical Products Division of BOC Health Care; Vice President, Abbott International; and President and General Manger of Abbot Canada Ltd. He holds a Bachelor of Commerce degree from University College, Dublin, and diplomas in Industrial engineering and Production Planning from the Irish Institute of Industrial Engineering and the University of Birmingham, England, respectively.

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Roger Perlmutter, M.D., Ph.D, Executive VP, Research & Development, Amgen, Inc.

Roger Perlmutter, M.D., Ph.D., is Executive Vice President of Research and Development at Amgen, Inc., a position he assumed in January 2001. He was formerly Executive Vice President, Worldwide Basic Research and Preclinical Development for Merck Research Laboratories. Dr. Perlmutter joined Merck as Senior Vice President, Merck Research Laboratories in February 1997 and was named Executive Vice President in 1999. Prior to joining Merck, Dr. Perlmutter was Chairman of the Department of Immunology and Professor of Immunology, Biochemistry and Medicine at the University of Washington. He previously held academic and clinical appointments at the California Institute of Technology and other academic institutions. Dr. Perlmutter was a Howard Hughes investigator earlier in his career and is one of the world's foremost authorities on immunology.

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Irving L. Weissman, M.D., Professor of Cancer Biology, Pathology and Developmental Biology

Irving L. Weissman, M.D., is the Karel and Avice Beekhuis Professor of Cancer Biology, Professor of Pathology, and Professor of Developmental Biology at Stanford University and Director of the Stanford Institute for Cancer/Stem Cell Biology and Medicine, Palo Alto, California. Dr. Weissman's lab was responsible for the discovery of the first ever mammalian stem cell, the hematopoietic (blood-forming) stem cell. Dr. Weissman was responsible for the formation of three stem cell companies, SyStemix, Inc., StemCells, Inc., and Cellerant, Inc. He is a member of the Board of Directors and Chairman of the Scientific Advisory Boards of StemCells and Cellerant. Dr. Weissman co-discovered the mammalian and human hematopoietic stem cells and the human neural stem cell. Past achievements of Dr. Weissman's laboratory include identification of the states of development between stem cells and mature blood cells and identification of the states of thymic lymphocyte development. More recently, his laboratory at Stanford has developed accurate mouse models of human leukemias, and has shown the central role of inhibition of programmed cell death in that process. Dr. Weissman has been elected to the National Academy of Science. He has received the Kaiser Award for Excellence in Preclinical Teaching, the Pasarow Foundation Award, and the Outstanding Investigator Award from the National Institutes of Health.

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Teratomas may grow in their brains

Thanks for the megaping.

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Donor name: weissman, irving
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Contributor	Occupation	Date	Amount	Recipient
WEISSMAN, IRVING STANFORD,CA 94305	STANFORD MEDICAL CENTE	9/19/2000	$2,500	Montana Democratic Central Cmte
WEISSMAN, IRVING STANFORD,CA 94305	STANFORD MEDICAL CENTE	9/25/2000	$2,500	Montana Democratic Central Cmte
WEISSMAN, IRVING STANFORD,CA 94305		10/18/1996	$250	Gantt, Harvey B
WEISSMAN, IRVING STANFORD,CA 94305	STANFORD UNIVERSITY	3/11/1996	$250	Porter, John Edward
WEISSMAN, IRVING L REDWOOD CITY,CA 94059	STANFORD MEDICAL SCH	9/25/2000	$15,000	DNC Services Corp
WEISSMAN, IRVING L PALO ALTO,CA 94305	STANFORD MEDICAL CENTER	7/26/2000	$1,000	Clinton, Hillary Rodham

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WEISSMAN, IRVING REDWOOD CITY,CA 94062	STANFORD UNIV/PROFESSOR	10/25/2004	$1,000	DNC Services Corp
WEISSMAN, IRVING REDWOOD CITY,CA 94062	STANFORD MEDICAL SCHOOL	5/27/2004	$500	Leahy, Patrick
WEISSMAN, IRVING STANFORD,CA 94305	STANFORD MEDICAL SCHOOL	8/22/2003	$300	Leahy, Patrick
WEISSMAN, IRVING L REDWOOD CITY,CA 94062	STANFORD UNIVERSITY/PROFESSOR	3/31/2004	$2,000	Kerry, John
WEISSMAN, IRVING L STANFORD,CA 94305	STANFORD MEDICAL SCHOO	8/11/2004	$1,500	Harkin, Tom
WEISSMAN, IRVING L STANFORD,CA 94305	STANFORD UNIV SCH OF MED	3/26/2004	$1,000	Specter, Arlen
WEISSMAN, IRVING L DR PALO ALTO,CA 94305	STANFORD MEDICAL CENTER	8/10/2004	$2,000	Clinton, Hillary Rodham
WEISSMAN, IRVING L MD STANFORD,CA 94305	STANFORD UNIVERSITY/PHYSICIAN	12/4/2003	$1,000	Eshoo, Anna
WEISSMAN, IRVING MD REDWOOD CITY,CA 94062	STANFORD MEDICAL CENTE/SURGEON	8/23/2004	$1,000	Velazquez, Tracy

At this rate, stem cell therapy might not qualify as "future" tech much longer.. ;^)

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Looks like the interests of the business were served by donations to the likes of Clinton, Harkin, Kerry, Leahy and -- what a surprise! < /sarc > -- Specter.

At this rate, stem cell therapy might not qualify as "future" tech much longer.. ;^)

True. But we (or at least I) also thought gene therapy was on the fast track before the tragic death of Jesse Gelsinger.

Hmmm. Why don't they try it with umbilical cord blood stem cells as well, just to see if it works?

Alas, I am guessing that the principals see absolutely no moral distinction between the use of umbilical cord blood stem cells and the use of (aborted) fetal stem cells.