Today before the opening bell, International Stem Cell Corporation announced that the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) awarded the company with a patent for a method of creating pure populations of definitive endoderm, precursor cells to liver and pancreas cells, from human pluripotent stem cells. Allowing the production of necessary quantities of precursor cells in a more efficient and cost effective manner, this new patent is a key part of ISCO’s metabolic liver disease program.
The patent, 8,268,621, adds to the company’s growing intellectual property portfolio relating to the development of potential treatments for diseases without cure using human parthenogenetic Stem Cells (hpSC). These unique pluripotent stem cells offer the possibility of reducing the cost of health care while avoiding the ethical issues of using fertilized human embryos. In addition to supporting the company’s current liver disease program, this new patented method can be used as a way of creating pancreatic and endocrine cells for use in future studies of diabetes and other metabolic disorders.
According to today’s press release, ISCO has the largest collection of hpSC, including cell lines which immune-match millions of individuals and potentially reduce tissue rejection issues. The company is focusing its therapeutic development efforts on three clinical applications where cell and tissue therapy is already proven but where there currently is an insufficient supply of safe and efficacious cells: Parkinson’s disease, inherited/metabolic liver diseases, and corneal blindness.
For additional information on ISCO, visit the company’s website at www.InternationalStemCell.com
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