ACTC:
"Dr. Lanza's company, Advanced Cell Technology, is well known in the cloning field, having accomplished solid achievements as well as some that veered toward the merely attention getting, like letting a human nucleus develop to very early stages in a cow's egg. The company is headed by Michael West, who as founder of Geron initiated support for the research that led to the first derivation of human embryonic cells."
[From the NY Times article above]
ACTC did a merger to get it's stock listed. From the list of ACTC'S SEC Filings:
Form 10KSB for TWO MOONS KACHINAS CORP
Subject to whether the Merger Agreement with Advanced Cell is completed as discussed under the heading "Subsequent Events" of the heading "Business Development" of Part I, Item 1, above, our plan of operation for the next 12 months is to continue sales of Kachina dolls and jewelry, both through our own web site and through Internet auction sites and consignment to specialty stores.
from the ACTC web site. Dr. West came from GERN, and there seems to be some friction:
Fact Sheet
Advanced Cell Technology, Inc. (OTC.BB: ACTC) is a biotechnology company applying human embryonic stem (“ES”) cell technology in the emerging field of regenerative medicine. We believe that regenerative medicine has the potential to revolutionize medicine by being able to produce human cells of any kind for use in a wide-array of novel and important therapies. We own or license over 300 patents and patent applications related to the field of stem cell therapy, nuclear transfer which allows the production of stem cells genetically matched to the patient, and a reduced complexity library of stem cells for acute clinical applications. Collectively, we believe that our intellectual property represents one of the strongest portfolios in the field. The Company is focused on being the first to commercialize the most profitable applications of regenerative medicine.
The Company is currently headquartered in Worcester, Massachusetts. Dr. Robert Lanza, Vice President of Medical and Scientific Development, and Dr. Michael D. West, provide leadership to the Company’s talented scientific team and day-to-day management of the Company’s on-going scientific program in Massachusetts and California. The Worcester facility includes a “GMP” facility for the production of our core cell banks. As of May 2nd, 2005 the Company has 21 employees of which 16 are scientists or directly related to science.
The Company’s Chairman, President and Chief Scientific Officer, Dr. Michael West, and its Chief Executive Officer, Mr. William Caldwell, IV, currently reside in California. Dr. West and Mr. Caldwell are actively pursuing strategic collaborations in the state of California with members of academia, industry and foundations to further accelerate the pace of our research efforts. In 2005, the Company intends to establish a research facility in California, where voters last November passed Proposition 71. Proposition 71, often referred to as the “Stem Cell Initiative,” provides for $3.0 billion of funding over the next ten years for stem cell research in the state of California.
In January 2005 the Company raised $8 million in a Series A financing and subsequently in February consummated a reverse (tri-angular) merger with a publicly-traded entity. As a result of the transaction, the Company is publicly traded on the Over The Counter Bulletin Board Exchange under the ticker “ACTC”. In April 2005, the Company hired a Chief Financial Officer, Mr. James Stewart, and General Counsel, Mr. Jonathan Atzen, both of whom bring extensive experience in operating and advising public companies. The Company intends to apply for a NASDAQ Small Cap listing and raise additional significant capital in 2005.
advancedcell.com
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Advanced Cell Technology Appeals Nuclear Transfer Patent Interference Decision
Worcester, MA – January 7, 2005 – Advanced Cell Technology, Inc. (ACT) announced today the intent to appeal the decision of the Board of Patent Appeals and Interference, interference number 104,746, between itself and Geron Corporation (Nasdaq: GERN) to the U.S. District Court.
"Advanced Cell Technology is focused on the human medical applications of stem cell technology. This interference relates to patent claims for non-human animal cloning and therefore does not relate to our core product focus. However, we have numerous commercial partners utilizing ACT’s patented animal cloning technology and we intend to defend the patents vigorously", said William M. Caldwell, CEO of Advanced Cell Technology. “We believe our intellectual property relating to the human medical application of nuclear transfer, not part of the 104,746 interference, is strong."
Advanced Cell Technology disputes Geron Corporation’s claim that ACT’s patent at issue in the interference has been invalidated. An issued US patent is entitled to a presumption of validity until a final ruling. A final ruling in this case has not been made.
"It has always been clear to us that the animal cloning patent licensed to Geron from the Roslin Institute and that licensed to ACT from the University of Massachusetts describe distinct technologies and that the patent claims do not interfere," said Michael D. West, ACT’s President and Chief Scientific Officer, "We believe that the original decision by the US patent office to issue this patent was the correct one and that the patent will remain valid as a result of the appeal process."
Advanced Cell Technology is a biotechnology company focused on discovering and commercializing advances in stem cell technology for application in regenerative medicine. |
