Advanced Cell Technology Platform Yields Over 140 Cell Types From Human Embryonic Stem Cells

Main Category: Stem Cell Research
Article Date: 07 Apr 2008 - 4:00 PDT

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Advanced Cell Technology, Inc. (OTCBB: ACTC; http://www.advancedcell.com) reported on a large-scale differentiation process that has generated panels of differentiating human progenitor cell lines from human embryonic stem cells (hESCs). The research will be published in the April issue of Regenerative Medicine (Vol. 3[3] e-pub ahead of print) and will be freely available at http://www.futuremedicine.com/loi/rme.

Since the first isolation of hESCs, scientists and industry alike have been working to harness the power of these cells for the purpose of restoring and regenerating body systems that have been damaged by disease or injury

One of the hurdles has been a commercially viable means for the expansion of sufficient numbers of the cell types needed for tissue regeneration. With the publication of work entitled "The ACTCellerate Initiative: large-scale combinatorial cloning of novel human embryonic stem cell derivatives," ACT scientists have solved some of these problems. The paper describes a system that was established to isolate and clonally expand tissue specific precursors that heretofore could only be isolated from aborted human fetal tissue.

Dr Chris Mason (UCL), Associate Editor of Regenerative Medicine said, "This is an enormously exciting development for the regen sector. The research reported… represents a quantum leap forward in embryonics, the mapping and characterization of the cells of early human development. Without any doubt, the ACTCellerate technology will greatly hasten the translation of human embryonic stem cell-based therapies into safe and effective products for routine clinical practice."

The benefits of the ACTCellerate technology transcend therapeutics and extend as well into revolutionary applications for drug discovery, drug toxicity testing, and cancer research. This advance holds great promise for future research and may one day lead to many new cell-based therapies in the emerging field of regenerative medicine.

Another important finding in this publication is that these normal embryonic progenitor cell types show the expression of certain genes (such as oncofetal markers) often associated in the literature with malignant cancer. However, when these progenitor cells were injected into supportive mice, no malignant tumors could be observed. This indicates that expression of such genes is a function of these cells' normal primitive stage of differentiation and not linked to any disease potential.

William M. Caldwell IV, Chairman and CEO of Advanced Cell Technology, Inc., stated, "We are greatly indebted to Mike West for his insight in initiating this program during his tenure with ACT and to the entire ACT scientific team for their perseverance in bringing this groundbreaking research to the conclusions described in this publication. ACT has taken great strides in identifying both clinical applications for this approach as well as for the ACTCellerate cell line library for drug target discovery, assay development, and direct therapeutics development across a wide spectrum of clinical indications. We are now in a position to offer our refined technology and know-how to potential partners and licensees."

About Advanced Cell Technology, Inc.

Advanced Cell Technology, Inc. is a biotechnology company applying cellular technology in the emerging field of regenerative medicine. The company operates facilities in California and Massachusetts.

For more information, visit http://www.advancedcell.com

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Forward-looking statements are based on the beliefs, opinions, and expectations of the company's management at the time they are made, and the company does not assume any obligation to update its forward-looking statements if those beliefs, opinions, expectations, or other circumstances should change.

Advanced Cell Technology, Inc.