Newswise — Today in an East Room ceremony at the White House, President Obama has lifted the Bush administration's restrictions on federally financed human embryonic stem cell research. Not coincidentally, the order is ideally timed for researchers to take advantage of money in President Obama's economic recovery package. This decision also provides Congress with an opportunity to overturn the thirteen-year-old Dickey-Wicker amendment, which specifically bans the use of tax dollars to create human embryos, or for research in which embryos are destroyed, discarded, or knowingly subjected to risk of injury. Sources said that this move signals a broader declaration concerning the Administration's position regarding the pursuit of scientific advances vs. rigidly held political ideology.
"While President Obama's decision—and the opening it provides Congress regarding a reconsideration of the Dickey-Wicker amendment—is cause for celebration among medical researchers, scientists, and patients' groups alike, the controversy surrounding stem cell use will not disappear overnight," says Kenneth C. Aldrich, Chairman, CEO, and Co-Founder of International Stem Cell Corporation, a California-based biotechnology company focused on developing therapeutic and research products. "Fortunately, stem cell lines can be generated without the use of fertilized embryos. Through a procedure known as parthenogenesis, an unfertilized human egg, or oocyte, can be chemically induced to form a tiny cluster of cells from which a stem cell line can be created, thereby solving the ethical problem surrounding the use of fertilized human embryos."
International Stem Cell Corporation is the only company to generate functional pluripotent stem cells—that is, stem cells that have the ability to turn into any type of cell or tissue—through parthenogensis. Recently, the company reported that by using its proprietary technique, cells from a single donor could be matched to general genetic patterns, known as "human leukocyte antigens" (HLAs), of hundreds of millions of patients. Since a single line of these cells may eliminate immune rejection issues in large segments of the population, parthenogenetic stem cells could be enormously valuable as a treatment of choice for diseases including diabetes, liver disease, heart disease, and macular degeneration. Based on this technology, the company has initiated an ambitious program for developing the world's first human stem cell bank to serve the need for stem cell-based treatments in the general population.
"Once the federal ban on embryonic stem cell research is lifted, it will free more researchers to obtain money from the National Institutes of Health and make it agreeable for them to use our cells under federally funded grants," says Mr. Aldrich. "Until now, even though our parthenogenetic cells did not involve fertilized embryos, there was fear that using them might still invoke federal sanctions. Today's expected announcement from the White House would remove any lingering doubts and open new doors for this research throughout the U.S."
For those covering this news, International Stem Cell Corporation makes available company Chairman, CEO, and Co-Founder Kenneth C. Aldrich to discuss a variety of topics including:
"¢ What are the ramifications of President Obama's executive order in terms of the future of stem cell research funding in the U.S.?"¢ What is the Dickey-Wicker amendment, and how does it impose limits on stem cell research?"¢ Why does embryonic stem cell research remain such a controversial practice?"¢ What is parthenogenesis, and why might this process be preferred to embryonic stem cell research?"¢ How does parthenogenesis solve ethical and immune rejection issues surrounding stem cell research?"¢ What are "human leukocyte antigens" and how do they relate to immune rejection issues?"¢ What are some potential scientific and medical applications for stem cell research?
Mr. Aldrich will be hosting a free educational webinar, "Stem Cells 102: Beyond Embryonic Stem Cell Research," on Thursday March 12th, 2009, from 1:00PM-2:00PM EDT. Interested parties are invited to reserve a space at:
https://www2.gotomeeting.com/register/560601521
Expert Biography " Kenneth C. Aldrich, Chairman, CEO, and Co-Founder, International Stem Cell CorporationKenneth C. Aldrich has been active in venture capital investing and private equity since 1975. He is Co-founder and Chairman of International Stem Cell Corporation (ISCO), and an active member of Tech Coast Angels. Throughout his career, he has provided early-stage funding and management for a variety of biomedical and technology start-ups, including WaveTec Vision Systems, an ophthalmic device company (as a Director and co-founder), Neurion Pharmaceuticals, Inc., a drug discovery and evaluation company (as a Director and co-founder), and Orfid Corporation, a developer of organic transistors (as a founder and financial advisor). He is also a director of Green Dot Corporation, the world's largest issuer of prepaid debit cards. Mr. Aldrich holds degrees, with honors, from both Harvard University and Harvard Law School.
About International Stem Cell CorporationInternational Stem Cell Corporation (ISCO) is a California biotechnology company focused on developing therapeutic and research products. ISCO's technology, Parthenogenesis, results in the creation of pluripotent human stem cell lines from unfertilized human eggs. ISCO scientists also have created the first Parthenogenetic homozygous stem cell line (phSC-Hhom-4) that can be a source of therapeutic cells that will not be immune rejected after transplantation into millions of individuals of differing sexes, ages and racial groups. These advancements offer the potential to create the first true "Stem Cell Bank" and address ethical issues by eliminating the need to use or destroy fertilized embryos. ISCO also produces and markets specialized cells and growth media worldwide for therapeutic research through its subsidiary Lifeline Cell Technology. For more information, visit www.IRGnews.com/coi/ISCO.
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