US Patent Granted

RNS Number : 3935U

Stem Cell Sciences plc

14 May 2008

 



Press Release

Stem Cell ScienceS GRANTED BROAD US stem cell media patent 

("Stem Cell Sciences", "SCS")

14 May 2008

Stem Cell Sciences plc (AIM:STEM, ASX:STC) today announced that the US Patent and Trademark Office ("USPTO") has granted its patent for technology that improves the efficiency of the culture and derivation of embryonic stem cells which leads to an increased purity of the cells. This technology offers advantages for cell-based drug discovery applications, where the prevention of uncontrolled differentiation facilitates the efficient expansion of the cells prior to their utilisation.

The new patent claims (US Patent 7,371,573) cover the culture and derivation of embryonic stem (ES) cells using a medium that contains leukemia inhibitory factor (LIF) and an inhibitor of an enzyme which activates mitogen-activated protein kinases, the enzyme is named MEK. When ES cells differentiate they begin to secrete factors that lead to the differentiation of other ES cells and the proliferation of these cells results in the purity of the ES culture being lost. A MEK inhibitor in combination with LIF suppresses undesired differentiation and maintains the pluripotent nature of the ES cells. This patent broadens the claims already granted under US Patent 6,875,608.

"Purity and homogeneity are critical factors when ES cell growth from single cells is required. The probability of a cell being an ES cell in a culture becomes very low when differentiation is not controlled. Single ES cell colony growth is vital when selecting for gene targeted variants of ES cells for use in drug discovery," Dr Tim Allsopp, Chief Scientific Officer of Stem Cell Sciences explained.

Dr Alastair Riddell, CEO of Stem Cell Sciences, said: "This technology represents advances in cell culture that will be used in our revenue generating SC Services business. The improved cell cultures described in the patent are of particular interest to pharmaceutical companies wanting to use our technology for drug screening." 

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For further information, please contact:

Stem Cell Sciences plc (United Kingdom)

Alastair Riddell CEO

Tim Allsopp, Chief Scientific Officer

[phone]

Halsin Partners (United Kingdom)

Michael Sinclair, Director

[phone]

Stem Cell Sciences Pty Ltd (Australia)

Paul Bello, Scientific Programme Manager

[phone]

Talk Biotech (Australia)

Fay Weston, 

[phone]

Notes to Editors

Stem Cell Sciences plc (SCS, AIM:STEM, ASX:STC) in a leading provider of cells and cell culture media to the burgeoning stem cell research market. The successful application of stem cells in both research and clinical applications is the reproducible supply of pure, fully characterised stem cells and stem cell-derived specialised cells such as nerves and muscle. By providing these products, to the life sciences industry and academia for use in basic research and drug discovery, Stem Cell Sciences has multiple potential revenue streams.

Stem Cell Sciences has multiple industry collaborations, including Millipore Corporation for the marketing and distribution of HEScGRO™, its serum free media for the growth of human embryonic stem cells and Merck & Co for the use of mouse neural stem cell technology for research applications.

To access cutting edge technologies on a rapid and on-going basis, Stem Cell Sciences has built an exceptional network of highly interactive collaborations with academic centres of excellence in the stem cell field. These collaborations have been the source of our founding technologies and continue to provide an expanding pipeline of products and intellectual property that are central to the Company's strategy and success. 

For further information on the company please visit:  www.stemcellsciences.com.

 

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