Germ Line Pluripotent Stem Cell Research Cited by Senator Coburn in Pre-Veto Senate Debate Well Underway, PrimeCell(TM) Therapeutics Chief Researcher Says.IRVINE Irvine, town, Scotland Irvine (ûr`vĭn), town (1991 pop. 32,507), North Ayrshire, SW Scotland, on the Irvine River estuary. Industries include iron and brass foundries. Other products are chemicals, electric goods, and clothing. , Calif. -- Germ Line germ line n. Cells from which gametes are derived. Stem Cells stem cells, unspecialized human or animal cells that can produce mature specialized body cells and at the same time replicate themselves. Embryonic stem cells are derived from a blastocyst (the blastula typical of placental mammals; see embryo), which is very young Are Derived from an Adult Source and Reprogrammed to Be as Versatile as Embryonic Stem Cells Embryonic stem cells (ES cells) are stem cells derived from the inner cell mass of an early stage embryo known as a blastocyst. Human embryos reach the blastocyst stage 4-5 days post fertilization, at which time they consist of 50-150 cells. ES cells are pluripotent. -- They Fall into President Bush's Category of `'Promising New Techniques'' With President Bush's expected veto veto [Lat.,=I forbid], power of one functionary (e.g., the president) of a government, or of one member of a group or coalition, to block the operation of laws or agreements passed or entered into by the other functionaries or members. In the U.S. of an embryonic stem cell bill today, attention will shift to promising new techniques involving alternative (adult) cells -- in particular, the germ line adult cells mentioned by Sen. Tom Coburn (R-Okla.) in the Senate debate. These cells exhibit the most important characteristic of embryonic stem cells -- pluripotency pluripotency /plu·rip·o·ten·cy/ (-po´ten-se) 1. the ability to develop or act in any one of several possible ways. 2. the ability to affect more than one organ or tissue.plurip´otentpluripoten´tial . To provide further insight, PrimeCell(TM) Therapeutics' lead stem cell stem cell In living organisms, an undifferentiated cell that can produce other cells that eventually make up specialized tissues and organs. There are two major types of stem cells, embryonic and adult. researcher, Francisco Francisco may refer to:
n. pl. sil·vas or sil·vae 1. The trees or forests of a region. 2. A written work on the trees or forests of a region. , is available to discuss this adult source of stem cells that share the very characteristic that makes embryonic stem cells so promising -- their elasticity, or pluripotency, the ability to transform into any other cell type in the body. These adult cells already have been therapeutically reprogrammed into human heart, brain, bone and cartilage cells cartilage cell n. See chondrocyte. .
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 PrimeCell(TM), potentially 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
promise. It does not require the creation, use or
destruction of embryos, and as such is not affected by
the presidential veto.
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 an adult cell to dedifferentiate it back into
pluripotent stem cells is a key proposal (Option 4) 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.
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