25th Jul 2006 07:01
Stem Cell Sciences plc25 July 2006 25.7.06 Immediate release (Stem Cell Sciences plc. AIM: STEM) New Human Stem Cells Set to Speed Up Drug Discovery Stem Cell Sciences (SCS, AIM: STEM) today announced the in-licencing of a novelhuman stem cell, called the human multi-potent adipocyte-derived stem (hMADS)cell. Discovered in fat tissue and easily grown, hMADS show great promise asbiologically relevant cells to improve drug discovery. In the joint laboratory between the University of Nice Sophia Antipolis and theCentre National de la recherche scientifique (CNRS), Drs Ailhaud and Dani haveshown the cells are capable of producing fat and bone at very high efficiency,and will be suited for drug discovery in such areas as obesity and osteoporosis.SCS holds world-wide exclusive rights to commercialise these cells for drugdiscovery in the field of obesity and an exclusive option in the field ofosteoporosis. SCS plans to quickly expand its range of cell types for discovery, leadoptimisation and high content drug screens. The new licence will enable SCS toposition itself as the leading supplier of stem cell derived cell types for drugdiscovery, a rapidly developing market. The market expansion dovetails neatlywith the company's expansion into automated stem cell production, and launchingof a range of specialised stem cell culture media. Dr Peter Mountford, CEO of SCS, said: "We have been delighted with the way thesecells have performed and expect their addition to our cell-based screeningplatform will substantially expand the range of discovery assays that we canoffer to pharmaceutical industry partners." The new licence comes hard on the heals of an earlier licence granted to StemCell Sciences KK, SCS' Japanese affiliate, to use hMADS cells for therapeuticuses, with the first target disease identified - Duchenne's Muscular Dystrophy.Both companies intend to collaborate with the University of Nice/CNRS insponsored research efforts to accelerate further development of these remarkablecells. - Ends - For further information, please contact: Stem Cell Sciences plcPeter Mountford, Chief Executive Officer & President 0131 662 9829 Weber Shandwick Square Mile 020 7067 0700James Chandler/James White Notes to Editors Stem Cell Sciences plc (SCS, AIM: STEM) is a global biotechnology companyproviding products in the burgeoning stem cell research and drug discoverymarkets, in addition to the targeted development of cell-based therapies forneurodegenerative disease and injury. 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. SCS principal focus is in neurological disease. Revenues in the neurotechmarket, including pharmaceuticals, devices and diagnostics, grew 10% in 2005 toUS$110 billion*. 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(TM)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, a division ofSerologicals Inc. 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 Duchene's Muscular Dystrophy in 2006. *Neurotech Insights, Volume 2/3 April 30th 2006. This information is provided by RNS The company news service from the London Stock ExchangeRelated Shares:
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