Geron Announces Publication Describing Animal Cell-Free Derivation of Human Embryonic Stem Cells
Thursday May 12, 7:30 am ET
MENLO PARK, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--May 12, 2005--Geron Corporation (Nasdaq:GERN - News) announced today the publication of studies which show that human embryonic stem cells (hESCs) can be derived without the use of animal cell feeders.
In a report published in the May issue of Fertility and Sterility, Dr. Susan Fisher and her colleagues at the University of California, San Francisco, in collaboration with scientists at Geron, describe the derivation of new human embryonic stem cell lines which were never exposed to live cells of animal origin. As described in the new publication, irradiated human placental fibroblasts that were previously shown to be free of pathogens of human, bovine and porcine origin, were used as feeders for the hESC derivations. The new hESC lines were derived from excess embryos that were obtained from unpaid donors who had undergone in vitro fertilization and had given informed consent. No animal-derived serum was used during the culture of the new hESC lines.
The two new cell lines have all of the expected properties of undifferentiated human embryonic stem cells. "These cells express telomerase, proliferate extensively in culture, and differentiate into all the major lineages of cells of the body," stated Jane S. Lebkowski, Ph.D., Geron's senior vice president of regenerative medicine. "Like our original hESC lines, these new hESCs lines can be propagated in culture conditions completely free of animal-based products. In addition, the new hESC lines have a normal complement of chromosomes."
"In deriving these new hESCs cell lines, we paid very careful attention to the quality and origin of the reagents to which these cells were exposed," said Thomas B. Okarma, Ph.D., M.D., Geron's president and chief executive officer. "The new hESC lines were never exposed to cells of non-human origin, and hence are not a "xenograft". We anticipate that researchers funded by Proposition 71 or other sources will be interested in using these cells in their research."
This work was conducted with support from Geron Corporation and a University of California Discovery Grant. |
