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Even With Bush Veto, Stem Cell Research Thrives -- Offering Hope for Americans Anticipating Stem Cell-Based Therapies, PrimeCell(TM) Therapeutics Chief Researcher Says

Posted on: Friday, 14 July 2006, 09:00 CDT

As President Bush considers using his first veto to strike down an embryonic stem cell research bill, PrimeCell(TM) Therapeutics' lead stem cell researcher, Francisco Silva, is available to discuss what this means for Americans hoping for therapies to treat a range of life-threatening conditions.

"While all stem cell research is important, a presidential veto would not mean the end of the promise that stem cells show," Silva said. "Hope for effective therapies also lies in the alternatives -- specifically in the therapeutic reprogramming of the germ line."

Silva will discuss an alternative source of cells that share the very characteristic that makes embryonic stem cells so promising for therapy. That quality is their elasticity, or pluripotency -- the ability to transform into any other cell type in the body.

Thanks to new research, there is now a possibility of deriving adult human pluripotent stem cells that do not involve the use of human eggs and/or embryos. These cells are not hampered by the ethical hurdles and scientific challenges that embryonic stem cells face, putting them on a faster track to therapeutic applications. WHO: Francisco J. Silva is VP of R&D for PrimeCell Therapeutics, and is a principal contributor to the company's intellectual property portfolio - which includes the first pluripotent adult, non-embryonic stem cell. WHAT: PrimeCell has the potential to be the first human adult pluripotent stem cell and shows great therapeutic potential. It does not require the creation, use or destruction of embryos and as such would not be affected by a presidential veto. "Achieving pluripotency in adult stem cells offers a solution that can elevate us out of the political morass and move us faster toward therapies that cure," Silva said. WHEN: Francisco Silva is available for interviews immediately. HOW: Schedule an interview with Silva by contacting: Meg Aldrich Edge Communications, Inc. 626-825-0309 aldrichmeg@sbcglobal.net

BACKGROUND

-- Silva and his team have taken adult stem cells from testes,

the germ line, and reprogrammed them to exhibit

pluripotentiality.

-- The germ line is the most protected and genetically pure cell

line in the body and, as such, provides the best chance for

successful therapies that will lead to cures.

-- This is validated technology. PrimeCell Therapeutics' mouse

model Proof of Concept is similar to that referenced in an

article published by German researchers in the journal Nature,

and described in a March 24 Reuters article. But the company

is further along - its researchers have already begun

developing a human PrimeCell by therapeutically reprogramming

human germ line stem cells.

-- PrimeCell did not emerge as a way around any perceived ethical

hurdles in embryonic stem cell research. The company's work

was guided entirely by science and the belief that the best

therapies must first begin with the highest-quality stem cell

possible.

-- For therapy, the cells would be derived from the same

individual receiving the therapeutic treatment. This

eliminates risk of rejection, infection and the introduction

of foreign pathogens - and possibly reduces the time to

regulatory approval for clinical trials.

-- PrimeCells don't just show promise, they actually work.

They've been successfully transformed into beating murine

heart cells, and into human heart, brain, bone and cartilage

cells - through therapeutic reprogramming.

-- Reprogramming human somatic cells to dedifferentiate them back

into pluripotent stem cells is a key proposal in the 2005

President's Council on Bioethics white paper Alternative

Sources of Human Pluripotent Stem Cells. Therapeutically

reprogramming the germ line falls under this proposal and has

already been accomplished by three independent laboratories.

Source: Business Wire

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