18th Dec 2006 07:01
Stem Cell Sciences plc18 December 2006 18 December 2006 Stem Cell Sciences Opens New Cambridge Stem Cell Production Facility ("Stem Cell Sciences" or "SCS") Stem Cell Sciences plc (AIM:STEM), the global biotechnology company focused onthe commercialisation of stem cells and stem cell technologies in research andnovel cell-based therapies, is pleased to announce that it has opened its newautomated stem cell production facility at the Babraham Research Campus inCambridge. SCS' new facility will enable the Company to grow and supply its novel stem cellbased drug screens and assays for the world pharmaceutical industry using stateof the art robotic cell culture equipment, including the CompacT SelecT TM.Combined with the company's range of stem cell lines, cell culture media andsophisticated stem cell engineering tools, it now means SCS will be able tosupply the right quantity as well as quality of "cells in wells" needed foradvanced pharmaceutical research and development. The company cell lines now include embryonic stem cells, neural stem cells thatcan produce neurons, astrocytes and oligodendrocytes, and hMADS cells (fatderived stem cells) that can produce adipocyte (fat) and osteoblast (bone)cells. Commenting on the opening of the new facility, SCS' Chairman, Dr Michael Dexter,said: "The opening of this facility is another step along the way to bringing stemcells from the research bench to industry. Our investment at the BabrahamResearch Campus gives SCS the capability to supply our stem cell based productsto the pharmaceutical industry in reproducible and cost effective ways, and isan exciting step forward in the company's continuing development." The new facility was formally opened on December 15th by Dr Mary Archer, Chairof the East of England Stem Cell Network Steering Group and Chair of CambridgeUniversity Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, who said: "One of the bottlenecks in drug development is the time it takes to screencandidate drugs for efficacy. The use of stem cell-derived cell lines forscreening promises much greater speed and efficiency than current methods, aswell as a reduced need for animal testing in pharmaceutical research anddevelopment. I am delighted to see SCS introduce this new facility at Babraham." - Ends - For further information, please contact: Stem Cell Sciences plcHugh Ilyine, Vice President and Chief Operating Officer 0131 662 9829Sue Furber, Director of Finance & Company Secretary Weber Shandwick | Square MileLouise Robson 020 7067 0700James White Notes to EditorsStem Cell Sciences plc (SCS, AIM: STEM) is a global biotechnology company,established in Melbourne, Australia in 1994, providing products in theburgeoning stem cell research and drug discovery markets, in addition to thetargeted development of cell-based therapies for neurodegenerative disease andinjury. The Company has established a leading intellectual property (IP) and technologyportfolio that enables the commercial application of stem cells in drugdiscovery, providing the Company with early-stage revenue streams and technologydevelopment for at scale cell production of SCS cell-based therapeutics. SCSprincipal focus is in neurological disease. Revenues in the neurotech market,including pharmaceuticals, devices and diagnostics, grew 10% in 2005 to US$110billion (Neurotech Insights, Volume 2/3 April 30 2006). SCS operates as a group of independent operations with laboratories in Scotland,Japan and Australia, each of which is affiliated with an academic centre ofexcellence. These include the Institute of Stem Cell Research (ISCR), Edinburgh,UK, RIKEN Centre for Development Biology, Kobe, Japan and the Australian StemCell Centre, Melbourne, Australia. SCS has four business units focused on key sustainable business strategies. SC Proven(R) provides cell culture media (liquid formulations) and reagents thatenable the growth and differentiation of stem cells. The first commerciallyavailable product, a novel, serum free, stem cell growth medium, has beenexclusively licensed for manufacture and marketing to Chemicon, part ofMillipore Corporation. SC Licensing licenses SCS proprietary technologies, such as Internal RibosomeEntry Site (IRES) and Stem Cell Selection, for application in laboratory-basedresearch and discovery. SCS has licensed technology to major pharmaceutical andbiotechnology companies including Pfizer, Sanofi Aventis, GSK, Deltagen Inc andLexicon Genetics Inc. SC Services provides specialised stem cell production for basic research anddrug discovery, including high-throughput applications. SC Therapies' goal is to develop safe and effective cell-based therapies forcurrently incurable diseases. SCS is conducting preclinical evaluations of itsneural stem cell lines in a number of therapeutic applications. The firstpreclinical programme is being undertaken by SCS' Japanese affiliate, whichrecently announced the exclusive licensing of human multi-potent adipose-derivedstem (hMADS) cells for therapeutic purposes. SCS KK will conduct preclinicalstudies for the treatment of Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy in 2007-8. For further information on the company please visit:www.stemcellsciences.com This information is provided by RNS The company news service from the London Stock ExchangeRelated Shares:
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