Following CA initiative..Geron and the University of California, Irvine Awarded Biostar Grant to Extend Collaboration in Spinal Cord Injury
MENLO PARK, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Sept. 24, 2002--Geron
Corporation (Nasdaq:GERN) announced today the renewal of a matching
grant from the University of California BioSTAR Project to support
continued research on the use of human embryonic stem cells (hESCs) to
derive oligodendrocytes for the treatment of spinal cord and related
central nervous system (CNS) injuries. The work, originally initiated
in August 2001 with Geron and BioSTAR funding, will continue to be
performed in the laboratory of Hans Keirstead, Ph.D. at the University
of California, Irvine.
The objectives of the current workplan will build on the goals of
the project to date, including the reproducible derivation of
oligodendrocytes from hESC lines and restoration of function in animal
models of spinal cord and demyelination injuries. "Our laboratory is
excited to continue this collaboration with Geron and we look forward
to building upon the positive results achieved in the first year of
the project to make further significant progress this year," remarked
Dr. Keirstead. The results from the first year of the project will be
presented at the Society for Neuroscience meeting in November.
Oligodendrocytes are specialized neural cells that produce the
myelin sheath insulating the spinal cord. In many cases of spinal cord
injury, the paralysis or other loss of function is the result of the
destruction of the myelin sheath, or demyelination. In Dr. Keirstead's
work, oligodendrocytes derived from hESCs are transplanted into
animals in an effort to re-myelinate -- restore the destroyed
myelin -- and thereby restore lost function. Cells derived from hESCs
have the potential to provide both cell structure and the appropriate
enzymes necessary to restore function to damaged nervous tissue, and
can be delivered directly to the injury site with minimally invasive
procedures.
"The research progress made by Dr. Keirstead and his laboratory in
the first year of our collaboration is remarkable," stated Jane S.
Lebkowski Ph.D., Geron's vice president of research and development,
regenerative medicine. "The milestone for this collaboration in the
coming year is to demonstrate efficacy of hESC-derived
oligodendrocytes in animal models of spinal cord injury."
Human embryonic stem cells are unique stem cells because they are
pluripotent. They can develop into all cells and tissues in the body.
Also, because they express high levels of telomerase, the cells
continuously self-renew in the undifferentiated state without losing
pluripotency. The extended replicative capacity of hESC lines will
facilitate the scalable and reproducible production of multi-dose lots
of oligodendrocytes, allowing rigorous efficacy and safety testing
and, ultimately, widespread availability for therapy.
Geron holds licenses under U.S. Patent Nos. 5,843,780 and
6,200,806, including exclusive rights to develop and commercialize
neural, cardiomyocyte and islet cells derived from hESCs for
therapeutic applications. Further, Geron has built its own
international portfolio of patent applications covering technologies
it has developed to enable the scalable growth and differentiation of
hESCs, as well as various differentiated cell types that can be
produced from hESCs.
The BioSTAR (Biotechnology Strategic Targets for Alliances in
Research) Project, initiated in 1996, is a matching grants program
designed to accelerate the University of California's contribution to
the California economy by fostering partnerships between University
scientists and California businesses focused on biotechnology
research. Proposals are peer reviewed on a competitive basis by expert
scientists and engineers from the University of California system.
Geron is a biopharmaceutical company focused on developing and
commercializing therapeutic and diagnostic products for applications
in oncology and regenerative medicine, and research tools for drug
discovery. Geron's product development programs are based upon three
patented core technologies: telomerase, human embryonic stem cells and
nuclear transfer.
Additional information about Geron Corporation can be obtained at
geron.com. |
