Stem Cell Innovations Produces Human Stem Cells; for Use in Government Funded Laboratories

Press Wire ^ | 03.29.06 | Varsha Gupta

[Coleus]

SCOTCH PLAINS, N.J.-- Dr. James H. Kelly, Chief Executive Officer of Stem Cell Innovations, Inc. (OTCBB: SCLL), will present data today at the Keystone Symposium on Stem Cells in Vancouver demonstrating that the Company has produced multiple lines of human pluripotent stem cells. Because these cells are derived from fetal tissue, not early embryos, they are eligible for use in laboratories funded by the National Institutes of Health.

 

Stem cells are cells that can produce additional stem cells as well as one or more other types of cells. Pluripotent stem cells can develop into most, if not all, of the tissues of the organism. To date, two types of mammalian stem cells have been shown to be truly pluripotent: the well-known embryonic stem cells (ES cells), which are cultured from very early embryos and are patented by the University of Wisconsin, and the lesser-known embryonic germ cells (EG cells), which are developed from fetal gonadal tissue. EG cells were originally developed by Dr. Brigid Hogan and have been patented and licensed exclusively to Amphioxus Cell Technologies, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of the Company, but have been used in only a few laboratories because of the difficult nature of their isolation and growth. While the widespread use of ES cells has been hampered by ethical issues and government funding limitations, Congressional legislation treats fetal tissue differently. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services has stated that research involving the derivation and use of EG cells may be conducted with Federal support (http://www.hhs.gov/ohrp/humansubjects/guidance/stemcell.pdf).

 

In his presentation at the Symposium, Dr. Kelly will present data demonstrating that Company scientists were able to overcome many of the problems inherent in the production of EG cells. First, the Company's cell lines are able to maintain their undifferentiated state and normal chromosome complement. Second, the Company is able to produce its cell lines without feeder layers (layers of foreign cells used as an environment to grow the stem cells which can complicate the process and result in contamination of the stem cells). Finally, the Company is able to efficiently develop multiple lines, the first step in creating banks of cells that can be matched to patients in cell therapies.

 

"We believe that we can make these cells efficiently and reproducibly. The Company is considering ways in which to make these cells widely available to scientists and believes that these cells can make a significant contribution to our further understanding of stem cell biology and its accelerated commercial development," Dr. Kelly said.

About Stem Cell Innovations, Inc.

Stem Cell Innovations, through its wholly owned subsidiary, Amphioxus Cell Technologies, which is based in Houston, Texas, is a cell biology company. It utilizes its proprietary C3A human liver cell line in the field of drug discovery and toxicology testing and is also engaged in the development and production of its proprietary PC(TM) pluripotent stem cells. These human cell-based disease models create a platform for the discovery, testing and development of all therapeutic modalities including small molecules, cell-based therapeutics, small interfering RNAs and antibodies.

 

A full copy of Dr. Kelly's presentation can be seen in the Company's Current Report on Form 8-K, filed on March 29, 2006, Exhibit 99.2 at

http://www.sec.gov/cgi-bin/browse-edgar?company=&CIK=scll&filenum=&Sta

te=&SIC=&owner=exclude&action=getcompany

[Coleus]

And I bet they're very proud that they are experimenting on aborted babies. Why does the US Government fund this?  What happened to morals and values?

http://www.ascb.org/publicpolicy/ftfacts.html

[MHGinTN]

The black-robed priests of humanism in an earlier degenerate court (subpreme court) have ruled the unborn to be less than fully human beings and not protected by the Constitution, thus they are a tissue source for anything science can dream up to exploit them for.

[traviskicks]

Better question: Why does the government fund any research?

[tallhappy]

Because these cells are derived from fetal tissue, not early embryos, they are eligible for use in laboratories funded by the National Institutes of Health.

Ethically this is much worse than collecting cells at a blastocyst stage.

The belief that somehow fetal stem cells or the like will be more powerful than adult and of such great use is actually superstitious. It's an interesting variation on the Dracula theme.

[tallhappy]

Better question: Why does the government fund any research?

Public funding of research over our history has had enorous benefits to society and is one of the reasons why we became the greatest nation on Earth.

Science is less prone to the pathologies currently afflicting our society, but unfortunately not immune.

[hocndoc]

The Embryonic Germ cells are mis-named - at least some of the time. They are taken from 7 to 9 week embryos or fetuses.

[traviskicks]

I disagree. I think the reason we became the greatest nation on earth is because government confiscates and spends our money to a lesser degree than anywhere else, on research or otherwise:

http://www.neoperspectives.com/foundingoftheunitedstates.htm

[neverdem]

The Embryonic Germ cells are mis-named - at least some of the time. They are taken from 7 to 9 week embryos or fetuses.

Aside from the politics and the ethics, they made a distinction without explaining the difference between embryonic germ cells and embryonic stem cells. IMHO, it's the difference between 23 chromosomes and 23 pairs of chromosomes.

I couldn't find embryonic germ cells defined at Dorland's Illustrated Medical Dictionary courtesy of Merck, Merriam Webster's Dictionary courtesy of MedlinePlus or the MedlinePlus Medical Encyclopedia.

Here's the definition which I found for Human Embryonic Germ Cells.

Embryonic germ cells are derived from primordial germline cells in early fetal tissue during a narrow window of development. Unlike embryonic stem cells, animal experiments on embryonic germ cells have been limited. In November of 1998, the isolation, culture, and partial characterization of germ cells derived from the gonadal ridge of human tissue obtained from abortuses was reported. These experiments showed that these EG cells are capable of forming the three germ layers that make all the specific organs of the body. There are fewer data from animal EG cell experiments than from ES cell experiments, but it is generally assumed that the range of potential fates will be relatively limited compared to ES cells, because the EG cells are much further along in development (5-9 weeks as opposed to 5 days in the published experiments). Fetal tissue may provide committed neural progenitors, but the feasibility of large scale sourcing and manufacturing of products utilizing such cells is questionable. Furthermore, the behavior of these cells in vivo is not well understood; significant research will be required to avoid unwanted outcomes, including ectopic tissue formation (additional, unwanted tissue), tumor induction, or other abnormal development.

[Coleus]

Better question: Why does the government fund any research? >>>

you're right about that. I haven't seen anything in the constitution that states the USA must fund private businesses. Something tells me that the government was formed to protect, guarantee and secure our inalienable rights, endowed by the Creator, now where did I ever read that?

[traviskicks]

But don't you know one of these rights approved by the creator is the right of government to thieve your family's money to spend on this 'research'? /s :)

[8mmMauser]

Pinged from Terri APRIL Dailies

8mm

[Coleus]

is the right of government to thieve your family's money to spend on this 'research' >>

I think I read about this in the communist manifesto.

[Coleus]

The American Society for Cell Biology

---

NATIONAL OFFICE: 8120 Woodmont Avenue, Suite 750 Bethesda Maryland 20814-2762
TEL: (301) 347-9300 FAX (301) 347-9310 E-MAIL ascbinfo@ascb.org  www.ascb.org 

1. What is Fetal Tissue Research?

• Fetal tissue research is research using tissue from non-living human fetuses. "Fetus" is a term that represents the period from eight weeks after conception until birth. Fetal tissue is derived from legal abortions and may be legally used for the purpose of conducting life saving scientific experiments.
• Fetal tissue transplantation research uses fetal tissue to study potential treatment of life treating diseases.

2. Is Fetal Tissue Research Legal?

• Fetal tissue research is legal in the United States. In 1975 the law was clarified to say such research is permitted if "conducted only in accordance with any applicable state or laws regarding such activities (45 C.F.R. 46, Sec. 210).
• In 1993 Congresses passed the National Institutes of Health Revitalization Act (Public Law 103-43), which contained language restricting fetal tissue transplantation research. Prior to 1993, there was a five-year federal moratorium on fetal tissue transplantation research, but through and Executive Order the ban was lifted. The ability to conduct research using fetal tissue for other purposes had not been affected by the ban. The 1993 Revitalization Act amended the Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 289 et seq.) as follows:

  (1) In General - The Secretary may conduct or support research on transplantation of human fetal tissue for therapeutic purposes.
  (2) Source of Tissue - Human fetal tissue may be used in research carried out under paragraph (1) regardless of whether the tissue is obtained pursuant to a spontaneous or induced abortion or pursuant to a stillbirth.

3. Where Do Scientists Get the Tissue?

• Scientists obtain fetal tissue for research purposes from a variety of sources including, hospitals, nonprofit tissue banks (one of which is funded by the NIH) and in some cases local abortion clinics.