5th Sep 2005 07:01
Stem Cell Sciences plc05 September 2005 5 September 2005 Stem Cell Sciences - New Licence Deal with Deltagen Stem Cell Sciences plc - the Edinburgh based stem cell research company - hastoday announced a major licensing agreement with U.S.-based Deltagen, Inc. foruse of its patented IRES technology. In addition to an up-front licence fee of U.S.$1.2 million, the agreementincludes royalties based on revenues generated by Deltagen. As part of thedeal, Stem Cell Sciences will receive from Deltagen selected geneticallyengineered mice. This announcement follows the recent listing of Stem Cell Sciences (STEM) on theLondon Stock Exchange's Alternative Investment Market (AIM) and the subsequentgranting of expanded claims for a key patent in relation to Stem Cell Selectionin the US. The US is a major market in Stem Cell Sciences' expansion programme.The Deltagen agreement and the awarding of the extended patent claims in theUS increases the base for future licensing deals in the important North Americanmarket. Deltagen becomes the first company licensed to use Stem Cell Sciences' IREStechnology for the manufacture, sale and sub-licensing of 'knock-out' mice. DrPeter Mountford, CEO of Stem Cell Sciences said; "We are very pleased to beexpanding our business in bio-medical research. The human stem cell field isanother exciting opportunity for the company and we are looking forward tofurther licensing deals for our IRES technology in this sector." Robert Driscoll, J.D., Ph.D., Vice President of Intellectual Property & LegalAffairs for Deltagen, Inc. said; "The granting of this licence ensures ourability to incorporate Stem Cell Sciences' powerful IRES technology into ourfull product range of knockout mouse-related materials." NOTES TO EDITORS: Stem cells are undifferentiated (un-specialised) cells which can divide to makecopies of themselves or differentiate (change) to become specialised cells of aspecific tissue such as neural cells or blood cells. IRES Technology (Internal Ribosome Entry Sites Technology) is a simple buthighly versatile gene expression system used in cell-based drug screening andanimal models of human diseases. Stem Cell Sciences hold patents over the useof IRES technology in stem cells and animal models. Knock-out mouse - where a mouse has been genetically engineered to be deficientin a specific gene to enable the study of that gene's function. This enablesthe creation of model organisms for the study of drug interactions by largepharmaceutical companies. Stem Cell Sciences plc ("SCS") is a global biotechnology company established inMelbourne in 1994 to undertake research on embryonic stem cell technologies. SCS operates as a collaborative group with research laboratories in Australia,Scotland and Japan, each of which is affiliated with an academic centre ofexcellence. SCS intends to establish operations in the US in 2006. The company's business model combines short-term revenue generating activitieswith the development of a pipeline of cell-based therapies. As a result of thisapproach, patients stand to benefit directly in the short term from theapplication of SCS technologies to drug discovery and in the longer term throughaccess to cell-based therapeutics. Stem Cell Sciences listed on the London AIM exchange on 18 July 2005 (AIM:STEM). Deltagen, Inc is a leading provider of drug discovery tools and services to thebiopharmaceutical industry. Deltagen offers a suite of programs designed toenhance the efficiency of drug discovery including access to biological modelsas well as both small-molecule and secreted protein drug targets. In addition,Deltagen offers extensive target validation data in the areas of immunology andmetabolic diseases. Deltagen's products and programs have been validated bycustomers and partners such as Eli Lilly & Co., GlaxoSmithKline, Merck & Co.,Millennium Pharmaceuticals and Pfizer. Issued on behalf of Stem Cell Sciences plc by Trimedia Communications. Forfurther information contact: Nicky HawkinsT: + 44 (0)131 272 2715M: + 44 (0)7733 [email protected] This information is provided by RNS The company news service from the London Stock ExchangeRelated Shares:
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