International Stem Cell is a California-based biotech company developing novel stem cell-based therapies for the treatment of diseases of the brain, liver, and the eye. ISCO’s main focus is on three therapeutic areas where it has recognized significant clinical need for a cell-based approach to treatment.
Parkinson’s disease – Parkinson’s disease is the second most common neurodegenerative disease in the United States. ISCO believes that the origin of the disease and the relative localization in the brain make Parkinson’s an attractive target for stem cell therapy.
ISCO Solution: ISCO scientists are focused on deriving neuronal cells and have developed a method of creating pure populations of cells suitable for implantation.
Inherited/metabolic liver disease – Chronic liver disease, including Hepatitis C, is the third most common cause of death stemming from chronic diseases in persons 35 – 64 years old. The yearly direct health care costs for chronic and acute liver disease in the U.S. is estimated to range from $60 billion to more than $100 billion.
ISCO Solution: ISCO is striving to develop improved methods of creating pure populations of hepatocyte that could be used in transplantation using HLA homozygous parthenogenetic stem cell lines to avoid the cells being immune rejected.
Corneal Blindness – Approximately 10 million people in the world are blind because they have damaged their cornea. This represents a large unmet medical need, mostly in the developing world.
ISCO Solution: ISCO believes there is also the opportunity to develop corneas as a research product for the drug testing market. The company’s team of scientists has developed a patent-pending process that creates human corneal tissue from parthenogenetic stem cells. The tissue closely resembles a human cornea in structure and cell types. ISCO anticipates commercializing this program through the company’s subsidiary in India in partnership with the Insight Bioventures, India.
For more information, visit www.internationalstemcell.com
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