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Early Results Show Promise for Stem Cells in Treating Chronic Liver Failure

By Stem Cell Treatment

Stem cell transfusions may someday replace the need for transplants in patients who suffer from liver failure caused by hepatitis B, according to a new study coming out of Beijing. . The results are published in the October issue of STEM CELLS Translational Medicine. Worldwide more than 500,000 people die each year from this condition.

Durham, NC (PRWEB) October 11, 2012

In China, hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection accounts for the highest proportion of liver failure cases. While liver transplantation is considered the standard treatment, it has several drawbacks including a limited number of donors, long waiting lists, high cost and multiple complications. Our study shows that mesenchymal stem cell (MSCs) transfusions might be a good, safe alternative, said Fu-Sheng Wang, Ph.D., M.D., the studys lead author and director of the Research Center for Biological Therapy (RCBT) in Beijing.

Wang along with RCBT colleague, Drs. Ming Shi and Zheng Zhang of the Research Center for Biological Therapy, The Institute of Translational Hepatology led the group of physician-scientists from the centers and Beijing 302 Hospital who conducted the study.

MSC transfusions had already been shown to improve liver function in patients with end-stage liver diseases. This time, the researchers wanted to gauge the safety and initial efficacy of treating acute-on-chronic liver failure (ACLF) with MSCs. The American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases and the European Association for the Study of the Liver define ACLF as an acute deterioration of pre-existing chronic liver disease usually related to a precipitating event and associated with increased mortality at three months due to multisystem organ failure. The short-term mortality rate for this condition is more than 50 percent.

MSCs have self-renewing abilities and the potential to differentiate into various types of cells. More importantly, they can interact with immune cells and cause the immune system to adjust to the desired level.

Of the 43 patients in this pilot study each of whom had liver failure resulting from chronic HBV infection 24 were treated with MSCs taken from donated umbilical cords and 19 were treated with saline as the control group. All received conventional therapy as well. The liver function, adverse events and survival rates were then evaluated during the 48-week or 72-week follow-up period.

Along with increased survival rates, the patients liver function improved and platelet count increased. No significant side effects were observed throughout the treatment and follow-up period.

While the results are preliminary and this pilot study includes a small number of patients, MSC transfusions appear to be safe and may serve as a novel therapeutic approach for HBV-associated ACLF patients, Dr. Shi said.

The study also highlights several key issues that will need to be considered in the design of future clinical studies, such as the optimal type of stem cells that will be infused, the minimum effective number of the cells and the best route of administration, Dr. Wang added.

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Early Results Show Promise for Stem Cells in Treating Chronic Liver Failure

Safety results of intra-arterial stem cell clinical trial for stroke presented

By Stem Cell Treatment

ScienceDaily (Oct. 11, 2012) Early results of a Phase II intra-arterial stem cell trial for ischemic stroke showed no adverse events associated with the first 10 patients, allowing investigators to expand the study to a targeted total of 100 patients.

The results were presented October 11 by Sean Savitz, M.D., professor of neurology and director of the Stroke Program at The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston (UTHealth), at the 8th World Stroke Congress in Brasilia, Brazil.

The trial is the only randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled intra-arterial clinical trial in the world for ischemic stroke. It is studying the safety and efficacy of a regenerative therapy developed by Aldagen Inc., a wholly-owned subsidiary of Cytomedix, Inc., that uses a patient's own bone marrow stem cells, which can be administered between 13 and 19 days post-stroke.

The therapy, called ALD-401, consists of stem cells that are identified using Aldagen's proprietary technology to isolate cells that express high levels of an enzyme that serves as a marker of stem cells. Pre-clinical studies found that these cells enhance recovery after stroke in mice. The cells are administered into the carotid artery. Patients are followed for 12 months to monitor safety and to assess mental and physical function.

"We have been approved by the Data Safety Monitoring Board (DSMB) to move the study into the next phase, which will allow us to expand the number of sites in order to complete enrollment," said Savitz, senior investigator for the multi-center study. As per the protocol for the trial, the Food and Drug Administration required a review by the DSMB prior to advancing to the next phase.

Preclinical research, including research at the UTHealth Medical School, has suggested that stem cells can promote the repair of the brain after an ischemic stroke, which is caused by a blood clot in the brain. Stroke is a leading cause of disability and the fourth-leading cause of death in the United States, according to 2008 statistics reported by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

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The above story is reprinted from materials provided by University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston.

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Safety results of intra-arterial stem cell clinical trial for stroke presented

Scientists discuss stem cell discoveries at New York Stem Cell Foundation Conference

By Stem Cell Treatment

Public release date: 11-Oct-2012 [ | E-mail | Share ]

Contact: David McKeon dmckeon@nyscf.org 212-365-7440 New York Stem Cell Foundation

NEW YORK, NY (October 11, 2012) For the second day, The New York Stem Cell Foundation (NYSCF) Seventh Annual Translational Stem Cell Research Conference hosts the world's most preeminent stem cell scientists to present their findings on how advances in stem cell science lead to better treatments and cures for disease and injury. The conference is held at The Rockefeller University in Manhattan on October 10-11.

Today, in disease-specific sessions, scientists will share their latest finds in moving stem cell research to treatments in the following areas: cancer and blood disease; diabetes and autoimmunity; heart and muscles; neurodegeneration and spinal cord injury.

In Cancer and Blood Disease, Elaine Fuchs, PhD, The Rockefeller University, will share findings on identification of skin cancer stem cells, which have implications in understanding other cancers as well as stem cells. Joanne Kurtzberg, MD, Duke University, will discuss her work developing therapies for disease with autologous cord blood transplants. Ravi Majeti, PhD, Stanford University, will describe his recent insights into acute myeloid leukemia and how stem cell technologies can lead to new cancer treatments.

Dieter Egli, PhD, The New York Stem Cell Foundation (NYSCF), will open the session on Diabetes and Autoimmunity by detailing his group's development of stem cell-derived models of pancreatic beta cells for the study of diabetes. Yuval Dor, PhD, Hebrew University, Israel, will discuss experiments with pancreatic beta cells with the goal to understand the regenerative potential of these cells. Matthias von Herrath, MD, Novo Nordisk, will delve into another aspect of Type 1 diabetes, the problem of autoimmunity. He will close the session by sharing insights into the need for an immune modulated therapy to diabetes.

Before the afternoon sessions, Shahin Rafii, MD, Weill Medical College of Cornell University will deliver the first of two keynote addresses of the conference. He will describe his recent successes in deriving vascular cells from amniotic cells.

In the afternoon session on Heart and Muscle Diseases, Amy Wagers, PhD, Harvard University, will focus on advances in treatments and explain how studies into the mechanisms of tissue stem cell renewal may have relevant therapeutic implications. Gordon Keller, PhD, McEwen Centre for Regenerative Medicine, Canada, will describe modeling cardiac cell development from human pluripotent cells for use in toxicology and electrophysiology studies. Helen Blau, PhD, Stanford University, will describe her research to improve stem cell culture in the direction of stem cell fate and for drug screens.

In Neurodegeneration and Spinal Cord Injury, Paola Arlotta, PhD, Harvard University and a NYSCF-Robertson Stem Cell Investigator, will address the application of stem cells to understanding and possibly treating these debilitating diseases and conditions, and will describe investigations to direct reprogramming of neurons into different neuronal lineages. Lorenz Studer, MD, Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, will discuss the potential stem cell technology holds in the treatment of Parkinson's disease. Despite past failures in the replacement of lost dopamine neurons, Dr. Studer will describe his novel protocols for the generation of these neurons for eventual use in clinical trials.

Rudolf Jaenisch, MD, The Whitehead Institute, will deliver the second keynote address of the day. Building on Shinya Yamanaka's paradigm-changing work in induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cell reprogramming, Dr. Jaenisch will discuss new methods to counter the generally low successful output of these cells. He will also summarize how targeted genome editing may help unleash the potential of iPS cells and embryonic stem cells for both the study of and therapy for disease.

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Scientists discuss stem cell discoveries at New York Stem Cell Foundation Conference

Brain Stem-Cell Implants Help Children With Rare Illness

By Stem Cell Treatment

Four boys with a rare and often fatal brain disease were implanted with stem cells that began fixing damage that impeded their ability to walk, talk and eat, a trial found.

The findings, published today in the journal Science Translational Medicine, are from the first stage of human tests funded by StemCells Inc. (STEM), a Newark, California-based company.

The children have a genetic disorder called Pelizaeus- Merzbacher, in which the brain cant make myelin, the fatty insulation for nerve cells that helps conduct brain signals. The children all had evidence of myelin growth a year later. The increased abilities shown by three of the boys in the University of California San Francisco study may bode well for other diseases caused by a lack of myelin insulation, including multiple sclerosis and cerebral palsy, the authors wrote.

Those were severely impaired children, said Stephen Back, a professor of pediatrics and neurology at Portlands Oregon Health & Science University, in a telephone interview. The fact that they showed any neurological improvement is very encouraging.

Back did work in mice that preceded todays work in humans, which he wasnt directly involved in. His study, published simultaneously, showed that the animals with no myelin at all grew some after being implanted with human stem cells.

Pelizaeus-Merzbacher disease causes the degeneration of the nervous system, and there is no cure or standard treatment. People with the illness experience a loss of coordination, thinking and motor abilities. Its one of several disorders linked to genes that control myelin production.

The incidence of the disease is 1 in 200,000 to 500,000 people, according to todays study of the boys.

The boys were between the ages of 1 and 6. They were given purified neural stem cells from a fetal brain, which was then grown in culture. The stem cells were inserted into the frontal lobe, using brain imaging as a guide. The boys brains were scanned 24 to 48 hours after surgery to assess safety.

The children were on drugs to suppress their immune systems and prevent their bodies from rejecting the stem cells for nine months. Side effects included rashes, diarrhea and fever. One boy had fluid collect under his scalp, which later vanished on its own. A second subject had some bleeding in the brain after the surgery, which was without clinical consequence, according to the paper.

One of the boys developed the ability to take steps with assistance and began to speak single words. Another started eating solid food on his own. A third began to walk without the assistance of a walker and began eating on his own.

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Brain Stem-Cell Implants Help Children With Rare Illness

StemGenex™ on Adult Stem Cell-Based Therapy for Multiple Sclerosis

By Stem Cell Treatment

LA JOLLA, Calif., Oct. 10, 2012 /PRNewswire/ --New research directions are being explored to find therapies for hard to treat diseases. One exciting new approach is the use of autologous Adult Stem Cells. Multiple Sclerosis (MS) is one of the many notable diseasesadult stem cell therapycould potentially impact. Multiple Sclerosis (MS) is a disorder in which an individual's own immune system attacks the 'myelin sheath'. The myelin sheath serves to protect the nerve cells within the body's central nervous system (CNS). The damage caused by MS may result in many types of symptoms including:

(Photo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20121010/LA89802-INFO)

Currently there is no cure for MS, but MS stem cell therapiesattempt to slow the disease's progression and limit symptoms. Since adult stem cells have the ability to differentiate into many different types of cells, such as those required for proper functioning and protection of nerve cells, the use of adult stem cells for MS therapy could be of substantial value. Adult stem cells can be isolated with relative ease from an individual's own 'adipose' (fat) tissue. As a result, adult stem cell therapy is not subject to the ethical or religious issues troubling embryonic methods.

Encouragingly for MS treatment potential, scientific researchers have been studying the properties of adipose-derived stem cells. Their results from canine and equine studies suggest anti-inflammatory and regenerative roles for these stem cells. Also, further research findings suggest these adipose-derived stem cells can have specific immune-regulating properties. Markedly, clinical-based work conducted overseas has indicated that individuals suffering from MS could respond well to adipose-derived stem cell treatment, with a substantially improved quality of life.

The US based company, StemGenex, is pioneering new methods for using adipose derived adult stem cells to help in diseases with limited treatment options like MS. StemGenex has been conducting research with physicians over the last 5 years to advance adult stem cell treatment protocols for alleviating MS symptoms. StemGenex's proprietary protocol includes the use of a double activation process, which increases both the viability and the quantity of stem cells that are received in a single application.

To find out more about stem cell treatments contact StemGenex either by phone at 800.609.7795 or email at Contact@StemGenex.com.

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StemGenex™ on Adult Stem Cell-Based Therapy for Multiple Sclerosis

NeoStem Announces New Publication That Supports Positive Results of AMR-001 for Treatment of AMI

By Uncategorized

NEW YORK, Oct. 10, 2012 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- NeoStem, Inc. (NBS), an emerging leader in the fast growing cell therapy market, announced today that a new article published by the International Scholarly Research Network provides further evidence that AMR-001, NeoStem's lead product candidate through its Amorcyte subsidiary, appears capable of preserving heart muscle function following a large myocardial infarction. Amorcyte demonstrated in its Phase 1 trial that AMR-001 preserved heart muscle function when a therapeutic dose of cells was administered. No patient experienced a deterioration in heart muscle function who received 10 million cells or more whereas 30 to 40 percent of patients not receiving a therapeutic dose did. The new study shows that cardiac muscle function sparing effects are evident even earlier after treatment than previously shown.

The article titled "Assessment of myocardial contractile function using global and segmental circumferential strain following intracoronary stem cell infusion after myocardial infarction: MRI Feature Tracking Feasibility Study" by Sabha Bhatti, MD, et al. appears in ISRN Radiology Volume 2013, Article ID 371028 and is published online at http://www.isrn.com/journals/radiology/2013/371028. The publication by Dr. Bhatti and colleagues, including Dr. Andrew Pecora, Chief Medical Officer of NeoStem, supports the finding that AMR-001 preserves heart function. Previously, Amorcyte, a NeoStem subsidiary, showed that six months after STEMI AMR-001 improved blood flow to the heart and preserved heart muscle. By using cardiac magnetic resonance imaging, specifically measuring circumferential strain of the left ventricle, the authors show that AMR-001's effects are evident by three months after STEMI.

AMR-001's angiogenic and anti-apoptotic mechanisms of action indicate that preservation of heart muscle function should start within weeks and be evident in fewer than 6 months. This publication, based on blinded analysis of Amorcyte's Phase 1 data, confirms the expected time course for AMR-001's mechanism of action. In the context of previously published results, these effects are durable.

Amorcyte is developing AMR-001, a cell therapy for the treatment of cardiovascular disease, and is enrolling patients in a Phase 2 trial to investigate AMR-001's efficacy in preserving cardiac function and preventing adverse clinical events after a large myocardial infarction.

About NeoStem, Inc.

NeoStem, Inc. continues to develop and build on its core capabilities in cell therapy, capitalizing on the paradigm shift that we see occurring in medicine. In particular, we anticipate that cell therapy will have a significant role in the fight against chronic disease and in lessening the economic burden that these diseases pose to modern society. We are emerging as a technology and market leading company in this fast developing cell therapy market. Our multi-faceted business strategy combines a state-of-the-art contract development and manufacturing subsidiary, Progenitor Cell Therapy, LLC ("PCT"), with a medically important cell therapy product development program, enabling near and long-term revenue growth opportunities. We believe this expertise and existing research capabilities and collaborations will enable us to achieve our mission of becoming a premier cell therapy company.

Our contract development and manufacturing service business supports the development of proprietary cell therapy products. NeoStem's most clinically advanced therapeutic, AMR-001, as mentioned above, is being developed at Amorcyte, LLC ("Amorcyte"), which we acquired in October 2011. Amorcyte is developing a cell therapy for the treatment of cardiovascular disease and is enrolling patients in a Phase 2 trial to investigate AMR-001's efficacy in preserving heart function after a heart attack. Athelos Corporation ("Athelos"), which is approximately 80%-owned by our subsidiary, PCT, is collaborating with Becton-Dickinson in the early clinical exploration of a T-cell therapy for autoimmune conditions. In addition, pre-clinical assets include our VSELTM Technology platform as well as our mesenchymal stem cell product candidate for regenerative medicine. Our service business and pipeline of proprietary cell therapy products work in concert, giving us a competitive advantage that we believe is unique to the biotechnology and pharmaceutical industries. Supported by an experienced scientific and business management team and a substantial intellectual property estate, we believe we are well positioned to succeed.

Forward-Looking Statements for NeoStem, Inc.

This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements reflect management's current expectations, as of the date of this press release, and involve certain risks and uncertainties. Forward-looking statements include statements herein with respect to the successful execution of the Company's business strategy, including with respect to the Company's or its partners' successful development of AMR-001 and other cell therapeutics, the size of the market for such products, its competitive position in such markets, the Company's ability to successfully penetrate such markets and the market for its CDMO business, and the efficacy of protection from its patent portfolio, as well as the future of the cell therapeutics industry in general, including the rate at which such industry may grow. Forward looking statements also include statements with respect to satisfying all conditions to closing the disposition of Erye, including receipt of all necessary regulatory approvals in the PRC. The Company's actual results could differ materially from those anticipated in these forward- looking statements as a result of various factors, including but not limited to (i) the Company's ability to manage its business despite operating losses and cash outflows, (ii) its ability to obtain sufficient capital or strategic business arrangement to fund its operations, including the clinical trials for AMR-001, (iii) successful results of the Company's clinical trials of AMR-001 and other cellular therapeutic products that may be pursued, (iv) demand for and market acceptance of AMR-001 or other cell therapies if clinical trials are successful and the Company is permitted to market such products, (v) establishment of a large global market for cellular-based products, (vi) the impact of competitive products and pricing, (vii) the impact of future scientific and medical developments, (viii) the Company's ability to obtain appropriate governmental licenses and approvals and, in general, future actions of regulatory bodies, including the FDA and foreign counterparts, (ix) reimbursement and rebate policies of government agencies and private payers, (x) the Company's ability to protect its intellectual property, (xi) the company's ability to successfully divest its interest in Erye, and (xii) matters described under the "Risk Factors" in the Company's Annual Report on Form 10-K filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on March 20, 2012 and in the Company's other periodic filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, all of which are available on its website. The Company does not undertake to update its forward-looking statements. The Company's further development is highly dependent on future medical and research developments and market acceptance, which is outside its control.

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NeoStem Announces New Publication That Supports Positive Results of AMR-001 for Treatment of AMI

The New York Stem Cell Foundation announces $9 million to 6 new NYSCF-Robertson Investigators

By Stem Cell Treatment

Public release date: 10-Oct-2012 [ | E-mail | Share ]

Contact: David McKeon dmckeon@nyscf.org 212-365-7440 New York Stem Cell Foundation

NEW YORK, NY (October 10, 2012) The New York Stem Cell Foundation (NYSCF) named six of the most promising scientists as its 2012 NYSCF Robertson Investigators.

Each Investigator will receive a $1.5 million award disbursed over the next five years to foster his or her innovative research by expanding laboratories and by training other scientists. Three of the scientists were named NYSCF Robertson Stem Cell Investigators, a program in its third year, and three were named NYSCF Robertson Neuroscience Investigators, a program in its second year.

"These young Investigators truly undertake the most daring yet rewarding stem cell research. We are all honored to support the future investigations of these promising talents," said Susan L. Solomon, Chief Executive Officer of NYSCF.

The Investigators were announced at NYSCF's Seventh Annual Translational Stem Cell Research Conference, held at The Rockefeller University in Manhattan.

Designed to support scientists engaged in novel neuroscience and cutting-edge translational stem cell research, the two Investigator programs aid these researchers as they move beyond postdoctoral work and establish their own laboratories.

The Investigator award builds on the previous success of NYSCF's Postdoctoral Fellowship program, which is the largest program of postdoctoral support for stem cell researchers in the United States, and has provided funding for 35 postdoctoral researchers to date.

Marc Tessier-Lavigne, President of The Rockefeller University, chaired the NYSCF Robertson Neuroscience Investigator program's selection committee.

"With such an outstanding group of young scientists, we had an exceptionally difficult decision to make. We are thrilled to be able to give these awards to such a talented group of scientists," remarked Tessier-Lavigne. "We are confident they will become leaders in the field of neuroscience."

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The New York Stem Cell Foundation announces $9 million to 6 new NYSCF-Robertson Investigators

Nobel prize winner in medicine warns of rogue 'stem cell therapies'

By Stem Cell Medicine

Nobel laureate Shinya Yamanaka warned patients on Tuesday about unproven "stem cell therapies" offered at clinics and hospitals in a growing number of countries, saying they were highly risky.

The Internet is full of advertisements touting stem cell cures for just about any disease -- from diabetes, multiple sclerosis, arthritis, eye problems, Alzheimer's and Parkinson's to spinal cord injuries -- in countries such as China, Mexico, India, Turkey and Russia.

Yamanaka, who shared the Nobel Prize for Medicine on Monday with John Gurdon of the Gurdon Institute in Cambridge, Britain, called for caution.

"This type of practice is an enormous problem, it is a threat. Many so-called stem cell therapies are being conducted without any data using animals, preclinical safety checks," said Yamanaka of Kyoto University in Japan.

"Patients should understand that if there are no preclinical data in the efficiency and safety of the procedure that he or she is undergoing ... it could be very dangerous," he told Reuters in a telephone interview.

Yamanaka and Gurdon shared the Nobel Prize for the discovery that adult cells can be transformed back into embryo-like stem cells that may one day regrow tissue in damaged brains, hearts or other organs.

"I hope patients and lay people can understand there are two kinds of stem cell therapies. One is what we are trying to establish. It is solely based on scientific data. We have been conducting preclinical work, experiments with animals, like rats and monkeys," Yamanaka said.

"Only when we confirm the safety and effectiveness of stem cell therapies with animals will we initiate clinical trials using a small number of patients."

Yamanaka, who calls the master stem cells he created "induced pluripotent stem cells" (iPS), hopes to see the first clinical trials soon.

"There is much promising research going on," he said.

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Nobel prize winner in medicine warns of rogue 'stem cell therapies'

International Stem Cell Corp Discusses Its New Cellular Reprogramming Technology in View of the Recent Award of the …

By Stem Cell Medicine

CARLSBAD, CA--(Marketwire - Oct 9, 2012) - International Stem Cell Corporation ( OTCQB : ISCO ) (www.internationalstemcell.com) ("ISCO" or "the Company"), a California-based biotechnology company focused on therapeutic and research products, congratulates Sir John Gurdon and Dr. Shinya Yamanaka on the recently announced Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for discovering cellular reprogramming to create pluripotent stem cells.These discoveries lead to the development of induced pluripotent stem cells (iPS) which is now a major area of research.However, currently cellular reprogramming is accomplished by inserting genetic material, via a virus or otherwise, which raises serious safety concerns when developing treatments.ISCO has developed a technology that potentially allows for the creation of a new generation of iPS cells without these safety concerns.Unlike methods requiring the use of viruses or DNA constructs that may integrate into the genome, ISCO's new method utilizes only proteins which are naturally eliminated once they have served their purpose.

Dr. Ruslan Semechkin, Vice President and head of ISCO's Research and Development comments, "Overall, our new technology represents a level of control that is much finer than the multiple infections necessary for viral-based systems which cannot be turned off and where the dosage level cannot be modulated.Moreover, ISCO's method can be used not only to reprogram somatic cells to become stem cells, but also transform stem cells into somatic cells.This technology provides an alternative to the existing cellular reprogramming methods and represents an enormous opportunity for ISCO to become a leader in the iPS field."

About International Stem Cell Corporation

International Stem Cell Corporation 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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Statements pertaining to anticipated developments, the potential uses of our technologies and other opportunities for the company and its subsidiaries, along with other statements about the future expectations, beliefs, goals, plans, or prospects expressed by management constitute forward-looking statements. Any statements that are not historical fact (including, but not limited to statements that contain words such as "will," "believes," "plans," "anticipates," "expects" or "estimates") should also be considered to be forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties, including, without limitation, risks inherent in the development and/or commercialization of potential products and the management of collaborations, regulatory approvals, need and ability to obtain future capital, application of capital resources among competing uses, and maintenance of intellectual property rights. Actual results may differ materially from the results anticipated in these forward-looking statements and as such should be evaluated together with the many uncertainties that affect the company's business, particularly those mentioned in the cautionary statements found in the company's Securities and Exchange Commission filings. The company disclaims any intent or obligation to update forward-looking statements.

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International Stem Cell Corp Discusses Its New Cellular Reprogramming Technology in View of the Recent Award of the ...

Pioneering iPS Cell Scientist Kazutoshi Takahashi Receives NYSCF – Robertson Prize in Stem Cell Research

By Stem Cell Medical Center

NEW YORK, Oct. 9, 2012 /PRNewswire/ --Today, The New York Stem Cell Foundation (NYSCF) will award a Japanese scientist with the NYSCF Robertson Prize for his extraordinary achievements in translational stem cell research.

This award will go to Kazutoshi Takahashi, PhD, Lecturer, Center for iPS Cell Research and Application (CiRA) at Kyoto University, for his vital contribution to induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cell derivation.

Dr. Takahashi was lead author on a series of landmark papers that described reprogramming adult cells into iPS cells, which were published while he was a postdoctoral researcher in Shinya Yamanaka's, MD, PhD, laboratory at Kyoto University.

Yesterday, judges in Stockholm announced that Dr. Yamanaka and Sir John Gurdon, DPhil, the Gurdon Institute, won the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for their stem cell research breakthroughs. Both scientists demonstrated that adult cells can be reprogrammed into pluripotent cells, cells that can become any cell type in the body.

The NYSCF Robertson prize will be presented at a ceremony in New York City by Susan L. Solomon, CEO of The New York Stem Cell Foundation, and Professor Peter J. Coffey, DPhil, the inaugural recipient of the NYSCF Robertson Prize in 2011, Executive Director of Translation at UC Santa Barbara's Center for Stem Cell Biology and Engineering, and Director of the London Project to Cure Blindness, University College London.

"Dr. Takahashi's path-breaking work truly has opened up the entire field of stem cell research," said Ms. Solomon. "In addition to his derivation of induced pluripotent stem cells, he focuses on improving this technique and other critical translational studies."

Dr. Takahashi's research group at Kyoto University was established in 2010 to focus on two areas of cellular reprogramming. Their first area of investigation is in the process of cellular reprogramming and the second area is evaluating iPS cell quality and differentiation potential.

"I congratulate Dr. Takahashi for his groundbreaking work, opening new avenues in the search for cures," said Julian H. Robertson, Jr. "The NYSCF Robertson Stem Cell Prize was created to recognize and support the work of young scientists like Dr. Takahashi, whose research offers enormous potential."

The jury that selected Dr. Takahashi in September consisted of Christine Mummery, PhD, Chair of the Department of Anatomy and Embryology at Leiden University Medical Center in the Netherlands; Lorenz Studer, MD, Director of the Sloan-Kettering Center for Stem Cell Biology; Irving Weissman, MD, Director of the Institute for Stem Cell Biology and Regenerative Medicine at the Stanford School of Medicine; and, Peter J. Coffey, DPhil.

The NYSCF Robertson prize is awarded annually to a young scientist in recognition of innovative and groundbreaking achievement, or body of work, that has significantly advanced human stem cell research toward clinical application. The terms of the prize require that the $200,000 stipend be used, at the recipients' discretion, to further support their research.

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Pioneering iPS Cell Scientist Kazutoshi Takahashi Receives NYSCF - Robertson Prize in Stem Cell Research

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