19th Jun 2007 12:00
Stem Cell Sciences plc (SCS) (AIM:STEM) (ASX:STC), the globalbiotechnology company focused on the commercialisation of stem cellsand stem cell technologies, is pleased to announce the exclusivein-licensing of a breakthrough technology. This is expected tosignificantly accelerate the application of human embryonic stem (ES)cells in both research and cell-based therapies. This discoveryovercomes the key challenge in the effective scale-up of stem celltechnologies - cell death. When separated from one another, duringtransfer from one growth vessel to another in routine laboratoryprocesses such as scale-up and genetic modification, human ES cellscommonly undergo cell death. The use of a selective ROCK inhibitor toincrease the robustness of the cells will allow for the large-scaleautomated production that is needed for industrial research andclinical application. SCS has secured exclusive rights to thediscovery in all global territories except Japan where the companyholds non-exclusive rights. Financial terms were not disclosed. £ The discovery, made by Professor Yoshiki Sasai's team at TheInstitute of Physical and Chemical Research of the RIKEN Centre forDevelopmental Biology (Kobe, Japan), uses a class of compounds knownas ROCK (Rho-associated kinase) inhibitors to block the onset of stemcell death when the clusters of growing cells are dissociated fortransfer and scale-up. This discovery, published on 27th May in Volume25 of the prestigious journal Nature Biotechnology, (a), was effectiveon all human ES cell lines tested. The discovery represents a worldfirst in terms of stem cell technology. £ Dr Peter Mountford, Chief Executive Officer of SCS said: "Weanticipate that this discovery will have a very positive impact acrossthe human ES cell field. The RIKEN discovery will not only transformhuman ES cell production but will also enhance our ability to engineerhuman ES cell lines needed by the pharmaceutical industry for specificdrug discovery assays. In commercial terms, it will build revenues forSCS through new and improved human ES cell culture media andcell-based drug discovery products, as well as further strengtheningour longer term position in cell based therapies." £ David Dodd, Chairman of SCS said: "Our business is to provideproducts, tools and services that advance the life-enhancing valuecapable of being achieved from stem cell biology. It is our goal tocontinue to source leading edge technologies to constantly improve anddiversify the products that researchers need to deliver maximumclinical benefit in the shortest possible time frames. We're delightedto have concluded this agreement with the RIKEN Centre forDevelopmental Biology and are now preparing for the rapiddissemination of this valuable technology throughout the medicalresearch community." £ References: £ (a) A ROCK inhibitor permits survival of dissociated humanembryonic stem cells £ Kiichi Watanabe, Morio Ueno, Daisuke Kamiya, Ayaka Nishiyama,Michiru Matsumura, Takafumi Wataya, Jun B Takahashi, Satomi Nishikawa,Shin-ichi Nishikawa, Keiko Muguruma, Yoshiki Sasai, NatureBiotechnology 25, 681 - 686 (2007), advance online publication,DOI:10.1038/nbt1310 £ RIKEN Centre for Developmental Biology £ http://www.cdb.riken.jp/en/index.html £ http://www.cdb.riken.jp/en/04_news/articles/070528_rockhes.html £ Notes to Editors £ Stem Cell Sciences plc (SCS) (AIM:STEM) (ASX:STC) is a globalbiotechnology company providing the biological infrastructure of cellsand cell culture media to the burgeoning stem cell research market. £ Stem Cell Sciences' core objective is to develop safe andeffective cell-based therapies for currently incurable diseases. SCSretains all rights to its technology for therapeutic use and istargeting cell-based therapies for neurodegenerative disease andinjury. £ Revenues from Stem Cell Sciences' research business are deliveredvia an integrated network of business teams and regional offices inEdinburgh and Cambridge (UK), Kobe (Japan), Melbourne (Australia) andSan Francisco (USA). This global reach provides the Company with thedirect access to markets through experienced personnel and localbusiness networks needed to drive SCS business growth in each region. £ The key challenge for the successful application of stem cells inboth research and clinical applications is the reproducible supply ofpure, fully characterized stem cells and stem cell-derived specialisedcells such as nerves and muscle. This represents a significanttechnological challenge that will require access to multipletechnologies and a globally integrated stem cell initiative. £ To access cutting edge technologies on a rapid and on-going basis,Stem Cell Sciences has built an exceptional network of highlyinteractive collaborations with academic centres of excellence in thestem cell field. These collaborations have been the source of ourfounding technologies and continue to provide an expanding pipeline ofproducts and intellectual property that are central to the Company'sstrategy and success. £ To facilitate research and technology transfer with its majorcollaborating academic institutions, Stem Cell Sciences' business andscientific teams are usually co-located on site or adjacent to thecentre of excellence in independent company facilities. The Company'skey collaborating institutes include the Wellcome Trust Centre forStem Cell Research (University of Cambridge), the Institute of StemCell Research (University of Edinburgh), RIKEN Centre forDevelopmental Biology (Kobe) and the Australian Stem Cell Centre(Melbourne). £ Academic and commercial use of stem cells in basic research anddrug discovery provides the Company with immediate and growing revenuestreams and offsets the cost of technology development for full scalecell production of SCS cell-based therapeutics. £ For further information on the company please visit: £ www.stemcellsciences.com Copyright Business Wire 2007Related Shares:
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