BACK TO STRICTLY STEM CELL
HOME
MGM
May 06, 2008
MENLO PARK, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)
Geron Corporation (Nasdaq:GERN) announced today two grant
awards to the University of Edinburgh from the UK Stem Cell Foundation, with
funding from the Medical Research Council and Scottish Enterprise.
The awards, totalling £3.6 million (US$7.2 million) over two years, follow on
from a collaboration set up in August 2006 between Geron and the University of
Edinburgh to develop hESC-derived hepatocytes for the treatment of liver failure
and for use in cell-based assays, as well as to develop osteoblasts and
chondrocytes for the treatment of musculoskeletal disorders such as
osteoporosis, bone fractures and osteoarthritis.
The grants relate to preclinical safety and efficacy studies of three
therapeutic cell types derived from human embryonic stem cells (hESCs). The
projects are led by Dr. Brendon Noble and Prof. John Iredale at the University
of Edinburgh’s MRC Centre for Regenerative Medicine.
“These are the first grants we have awarded that use human embryonic stem
cells,” said Sir Richard Sykes, Chairman of the Board of Trustees, UK Stem Cell
Foundation. “Our remit is to support high quality translational projects whose
direct aim is rapid and safe progression towards clinical application. These
research groups combine scientific and clinical expertise within a centre of
excellence for stem cell research at the University of Edinburgh and are
therefore well positioned for achieving success.”
“The UK continues to demonstrate international leadership in supporting
development of embryonic stem cell technology,” said David Greenwood, Geron’s
executive vice president and chief financial officer. “Because of the
receptiveness in the UK, we have major collaborations in place at the University
of Edinburgh, the University of Birmingham and Oxford.”
“This funding and our continued collaboration with Geron will advance two
important translational programs within the MRC Centre for Regenerative
Medicine,” commented Professor Sir John Savill, Head of College of Medicine and
Veterinary Medicine at the University of Edinburgh. “The government has made a
major investment in creating the Centre and this grant will allow us to progress
toward our goal of delivering new treatments for debilitating diseases.”
Programs Funded by the Grant
Hepatocytes
Currently, the only treatment for chronic end-stage liver failure is whole organ
liver transplantation, a costly procedure limited by the severe shortage of
donor organs. A potential alternative therapy being explored within the
collaboration is the use of hepatocytes derived from hESCs either to restore
liver function, or to be incorporated into bioartificial devices for patients
awaiting transplantation or in need of short-term hepatic support.
In the liver program, recent improvements in the hepatocyte differentiation
protocol have significantly increased the efficiency of producing functional
human hepatocyte-like cells. These derived cells have important genetic and
functional characteristics of normal human hepatocytes, such as the expression
of genes required for liver cell function and the ability of the cells to
metabolize drugs. The current funding will support preclinical studies to assess
safety and efficacy of the hESC-derived hepatocyte-like cells. An immediate goal
of the work will be the development of the cells for drug testing. Successful
development of liver cells from hESCs will revolutionise and improve the way we
are able to test drugs and novel therapies both for the liver and other organs
in addition to the possible development of a stem-cell based approach to
regenerate the liver.
Bone and Cartilage Cells
Similarly, orthopaedic indications are important targets for cell therapy, such
as the replacement of degenerated cartilage in osteoarthritis, or of bone after
trauma or osteoporosis, applications with major unmet needs. These hESC-based
therapies are intended to be off-the-shelf products, delivered on demand, and
centrally produced from a uniform renewable source of undifferentiated cells,
allowing efficient treatment of large numbers of patients. The orthopaedic
program has derived bone forming osteoblasts and cartilage-forming chondrocytes
from hESCs in vitro by directed differentiation and demonstrated survival of
grafted cells in bone and cartilage repair sites in vivo. Cells derived in this
way have been shown to be capable of forming the authentic bone and cartilage
material that is required to repair our skeleton and to be capable of doing this
in sites in the body that need it. The current funding will support further
studies to assess safety and efficacy of hESC-derived osteoblasts and
chondrocytes in preclinical models. Bioactive scaffolds and cell carriers,
developed at the University of Edinburgh, will be used to promote tissue
regeneration in vivo.
The Principals of the Program
The University of Edinburgh’s MRC Centre for Regenerative Medicine (CRM) is
based at Little France medical campus, combining the Royal Infirmary of
Edinburgh, an 870-bed teaching hospital, with the University of Edinburgh’s
world-renowned Medical School and Queen’s Medical Research Institute adjacent to
a 100-acre science park development, Edinburgh BioQuarter. The CRM was launched
in December 2005 to advance basic research in stem cells and regenerative
medicine with the goal of translating science and technology into clinical
application. Under the directorship of Professor Sir Ian Wilmut FRS, who led the
team that cloned Dolly the sheep, the CRM is already one of the largest critical
masses of basic and clinical researchers in this field in Europe. It recently
received full status as an MRC Centre of Excellence in regenerative medicine and
stem cell research as part of the UK’s strategic investment in the field. For
more information, visit www.scrm.ed.ac.uk.
The UK Stem Cell Foundation is a registered charity established in 2005 to
support the advance of pioneering stem cell research into clinical practice and
bridge the gap in the funding available for translational projects. A strategic
funding partnership has been set up with the UK’s Medical Research Council (MRC)
as part of a wider initiative to strengthen the Government’s commitment to stem
cell research and boost investment in its translation in order to maintain a
leading position in the field internationally. For more information visit
www.ukscf.org.
Scottish Enterprise (SE) is Scotland’s main enterprise, innovation and
investment agency and is focused on supporting business growth and developing a
competitive business environment. Working in partnership with industry, academia
and the public sector, SE aims to play its part in delivering the Scottish
Government’s new economic strategy to increase productivity in Scotland by
helping businesses grow, encouraging greater innovation and creating the right
conditions for companies to access property, markets and finance. Further
information can be found at www.scottish-enterprise.com.
Geron is a Menlo Park, California-based biopharmaceutical company developing
first-in-class therapeutic products for the treatment of cancer and degenerative
diseases, including spinal cord injury, heart failure and diabetes. The company
is advancing an anti-cancer drug and a cancer vaccine that target the enzyme
telomerase through multiple clinical trials. Geron is also the world leader in
the development of human embryonic stem cell-based therapeutics, with its spinal
cord injury treatment anticipated to be the first product to enter clinical
development. For more information, visit www.geron.com.
This news release may contain forward-looking statements made pursuant to the
“safe harbor” provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of
1995. Investors are cautioned that statements in this press release regarding
potential applications of Geron’s human embryonic stem cell technology
constitute forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties,
including, without limitation, risks inherent in the development and
commercialization of potential products, uncertainty of clinical trial results
or regulatory approvals or clearances, need for future capital, dependence upon
collaborators and maintenance of our intellectual property rights. Actual
results may differ materially from the results anticipated in these
forward-looking statements. Additional information on potential factors that
could affect our results and other risks and uncertainties are detailed from
time to time in Geron’s periodic reports, including the quarterly report on Form
10-Q for the quarter ended March 31, 2008.
"In a few minutes a computer can make a mistake so great that it would have taken many men many months to equal it." Unknown
MGM
© ALS Independence 2003-08