Stock up pre market. This looks to be why:
MENLO PARK, Calif., Oct 5, 2004 (BUSINESS WIRE) -- Geron Corporation (Nasdaq: GERN) announced today that it has been granted U.S. Patent No 6,800,480, covering the growth of human embryonic stem cells (hESCs) in the absence of feeder cells. The technology covered by the new patent will greatly facilitate scalable commercial manufacture of hESC-based therapeutic products.
hESCs are unique, pluripotent cells that can be grown in large quantities and differentiated into a wide variety of cell types potentially useful for treating a range of human diseases. Conventional drugs typically treat the symptoms of a disease or inhibit disease progression. One of the benefits of hESC-based therapies is the potential to restore normal function to damaged tissues. Geron's lead development programs for hESC-based therapies are directed towards the treatment of spinal cord injury, heart disease and diabetes.
A significant advantage of hESCs over other types of stem cells is their capacity for unlimited growth and expansion in the undifferentiated state, followed by controlled differentiation into the desired therapeutic cell populations. Previously, hESCs have been grown in direct contact with mouse feeder cells, which supply components that maintain the pluripotent and proliferative capacity of the undifferentiated cells. More recently, hESCs have also been grown on layers of human feeder cells. The new patent covers technology developed by Geron scientists that eliminates feeder cells of any kind from the culture process in which the hESCs are grown. This is important for scalable production of hESC-based products, and also eliminates the risk of contamination of the therapeutic cell populations by infectious agents from the feeder cells.
"We regard the ability to grow hESCs without feeders as an important part of our clinical product development plan," said Thomas B. Okarma, Ph.D., M.D., Geron's president and chief executive officer. "The feeder-free system allows us to scale up manufacturing to the level needed to make multi-dose production lots of cell-based medicines. In addition, removal of the mouse feeder cells is an important step toward the production of hESC-based products that are completely free of animal components, which will simplify our compliance with FDA requirements for these cells to be used for human therapies."
"This new patent covers feeder-free cultures of hESCs as compositions of matter," said David J. Earp, Ph.D., J.D., Geron's chief patent counsel and senior vice president of business development. "The patent broadly protects undifferentiated hESCs grown on an extracellular matrix without feeder cells, and it is a significant addition to Geron's portfolio of patents covering the company's embryonic stem cell technology. We believe that using feeder-free growth conditions will be important for the successful development of therapeutic products from hESCs. This patent is likely to have value beyond protecting the products that we are currently developing at Geron."
Worldwide, Geron's stem cell patent portfolio includes more than 20 issued patents and over 200 pending applications, either owned or licensed by the company.
Geron is a biopharmaceutical company focused on developing and commercializing therapeutic and diagnostic products for cancer based on its telomerase technology, and cell-based therapeutics using its human embryonic stem cell technology.
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 such forward-looking statements in this press release regarding future applications of Geron Corporation's technology constitute forward-looking statements involving risks and uncertainties, including, without limitation, risks inherent in the development and commercialization of potential products, reliance on collaborators, need for additional capital, need for regulatory approvals or clearances, and the 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 on June 30, 2004.
SOURCE: Geron Corporation
CONTACT: Geron Corporation
David J. Earp, 650-473-7765 |
