Stem cell blood bank relocates as business booms: StemCyte moves into Covina home, twice the size of old facility.It's a common tale about the chronic shortage of commercial lab space in Los Angeles Los Angeles (lôs ăn`jələs, lŏs, ăn`jəlēz'), city (1990 pop. 3,485,398), seat of Los Angeles co., S Calif.; inc. 1850. : A fast-growing bioscience company frequently has to move away to realize its full potential. This month there was a happier ending for StemCyte Inc., which develops therapies using 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 harvested from umbilical cord blood umbilical cord blood Transplantation A source of primitive and stem cells that can be used to reconstitute BM destroyed by aplastic anemia or by RT or chemotherapy for CA, lymphoproliferative malignancies. See Bone marrow transplantation, Stem cell therapy. . StemCyte, which a few years ago began outgrowing its original Arcadia headquarters, has relocated across the San Gabriel River San Gabriel River is the name of watercourses in two states:
"Our 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. products now treat patients for more than 35 diseases in 32 countries and we really needed room to expand our manufacturing facility," said Chief Executive Ken Giacin. The company was able to talk the owner of a former blood storage bag manufacturing facility into subdividing the site, with StemCyte taking half. Umbilical cord blood is rich in stem cells that are capable of growing into a variety of human cells and organs. StemCyte's products are more commonly used to treat blood diseases such as leukemia leukemia (l  kē`mēə), cancerous disorder of the blood-forming tissues (bone marrow, lymphatics, liver, spleen) characterized by excessive production of immature or mature , but other applications are being explored.
The privately held company privately held company A firm whose shares are held within a relatively small circle of owners and are not traded publicly. had 40 percent revenue growth in 2007, Giacin said. StemCyte's private umbilical-cord blood banks offer mothers at participating hospitals the opportunity to pay for storage of their infant's umbilical cord blood for future use by the child or his or her family--a controversial practice that critics say has little medical benefit. But unlike other private banks, families also can contribute for free to a separate donor bank that is used in research and for making the company's therapeutics. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] The relocation comes in time for the company to show off its new facilities to stem cell researchers attending next week's sixth annual International Umbilical Cord Blood Transplantation Symposium in Los Angeles. The event now attracts more than 500 researchers from around the world and was first organized by the company's chief medical officer, Dr. Larry Petz. Around 40 of the company's 100 employees work in the Los Angeles research and manufacturing facility, with another 40 at the company's Taiwan facility. Staff reporter Deborah Crowe can be reached derowe@labusinessjournal.com or at (323) 549-5225, ext. 232. |
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