(cont'd)
Osiris Therapeutics in
Baltimore, for instance, recently reported that it had taken stem cells from
bone marrow and coaxed them to form cartilage, bone, and fat cells.
Osiris already is testing the stem cells to replenish bone marrow in cancer
patients after chemotherapy.
Geron argues that ESCs will give it an edge in the tissue- regeneration
business, since they alone seem capable of forming complex tissues
consisting of many cell types--a view shared by West at Advanced Cell.
Geron adds that its telomerase patents may give it another advantage,
since the cell-immortalizing enzyme may be needed to make stem cells
divide enough times to form replacement tissues. To generate near-term
revenues, Geron plans to farm out its ESC technology as a source of
hard-to-get human cells for testing new drugs. Okarma, a razor-sharp
M.D.-Ph.D. with strong management credentials, adds that he also plans
to seek more corporate partnerships and accelerate product
development.
With its knack for making headlines, Geron stands a reasonable chance
of generating the huge momentum it will need to become a leader in tissue
regeneration. Advanced Cell's well-regarded cow- cloning work should
give it staying power too. But if either succeeds, it may be more
ambivalent than ever about getting into the life-extension business. After
all, anti-aging drugs might clobber the market for spare parts.
{SIDEBAR}
Dulling the Reaper's Blade
Anti-aging science still sounds like an oxymoron to most venture
capitalists, deterring entrepreneurial activity in the area. But startups with
anti-aging aspirations--and sound science--have finessed this issue by
targeting specific diseases of aging. Here are three:
Centaur Pharmaceuticals. Landmark studies with gerbils inspired the
development of this Sunnyvale, Calif., company's experimental drugs for
stroke, Parkinson's disease, AIDS-associated dementia--and maybe the
aging process itself. Founding scientists Robert Floyd and John Carney
are known for showing that chemicals called NRTs can improve elderly
gerbils' memories as well as protect their brains after artificially induced
strokes. NRTs appear both to mop up highly reactive "free radicals" and
to block inflammatory processes linked to Alzheimer's disease, arthritis,
and other ailments. Centaur, with AstraZeneca, hopes to begin a pivotal
clinical trial next year with an NRT to treat stroke victims. The company
has patented the use of NRTs as anti-aging drugs, and recent data
suggest one such compound slows aging in mice.
GenoPlex. Co-founder Thomas E. Johnson, who studies aging at the
University of Colorado, has helped elucidate "stress response" genes,
which protect cells from insults such as toxins and the sun's ultraviolet
rays. The genes appear to be central players in experiments that have
slowed aging in tiny worms called nematodes. Johnson believes that
mimicking the effects of stress genes with drugs may someday extend the
human life span. His pragmatic, relatively near-term goal at Genoplex is
to develop medicines that slow the brain deterioration of Parkinson's and
other diseases. GenoPlex, in Denver, also is investigating human genes
linked to Alzheimer's disease by Harvard researcher Rudolph Tanzi.
HealthSpan Sciences. Previously named Jouvence Pharmaceuticals, this
Vista, Calif., company was formed in 1995 to develop drugs based on
life-extending genes in yeast, worms, fruit flies, and mice. Struggling
financially, it hired scientist Bryant Villeponteau as CEO last year,
renamed itself, and adopted a new strategy. To help fund its long-term
research on anti-aging genes, Villeponteau launched a line of antioxidant
"nutraceuticals" to prevent age-related diseases. HealthSpan plans to give
its proprietary formulations an edge with clinical studies showing they
block free-radical damage better than the antioxidant vitamins many
people take in hopes of staying healthy longer.
{BOX}
The science of aging is getting hot, generating commercial ventures that
may transform our later lives.
PART 3 of a three-part series
Quote: "I got kicked out of a lot of conference rooms" when first pitching
plans for an anti-aging company, says entrepreneur Mike West. With
breakthroughs on aging at the cellular level, Geron has achieved the
highest buzz-to-equity ratio in the biotech industry. Research on
rejuvenating elderly patients' tissues with embryonic cells has stirred fierce
opposition from anti-abortion lobbyists. One of Cibelli's cells, fused with
a cow egg, started to divide in the test tube--it was beginning to behave
like a human embryo.
COLOR PHOTO: PHOTOGRAPH BY MOJGAN B. AZIMI NEVER
SAY DIE: Geron 's Thomas Okarma (left) and Cal Harley lead a bold
assault on old-age ills. COLOR PHOTO: ASIA KEPKA ENFANT
TERRIBLE: Biologist Michael West does business at the intersection of
science and taboo. COLOR PHOTO: ASIA KEPKA COW COW COW:
Cloned cattle like these are forerunners of animals that bioengineers envision
providing replacement tissues for elderly patients. Cloning studies also
promise to help scientists rejuvenate organs from patients' own cells.
COLOR PHOTO: ASIA KEPKA SEND IN THE CLONES: Scientists
Jose Cibelli and James Robl created the first cow-human hybrid cells as a
step toward organ replacements. COLOR PHOTO: ASIA KEPKA GOT
GENES? Cloned cows may one day produce drugs in their milk. |
