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Biotech / Medical : Geron Corp. -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: B.D.K. who wrote (1066)	11/5/1998 10:46:00 PM
From: CoffeePot	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 3576

HUMAN STEM CELLS CULTURED FOR FIRST TIME 6:48 p.m. ET (2349 GMT) November 5, 1998 NEW YORK, Nov 05 (Reuters Health) — Scientists have announced that for the first time they have grown human stem cells — the progenitors of all human cells — under laboratory conditions. The breakthrough discovery could someday lead to the artificial production of human tissues for use in transplants, drug development, and other types of research. "These cells are different from all other human stem cells isolated to date,'' said Dr. James A. Thomson, a University of Wisconsin-Madison biologist and lead researcher of one of two teams reporting the discovery. "As the source of all cell types,'' he explained, "they hold great promise for use in transplantation medicine, drug discovery and development, and the study of human developmental biology.'' Stem cells found in embryos give rise to all types of body cells. Scientists have long sought a method of isolating these stem cells in the laboratory so that they might find a method of directing their development into medically useful tissues. Thomson's team publish their findings in the November 6th issue of the journal Science. Their work focused on human blastocysts — microscopic collections of dividing cells that develop after fertilization of the egg. The blastocysts used in the Wisconsin study were donated to the researchers by patients attending an infertility clinic. Thomson and his colleagues report that they successfully cultured stem cells from the blastocysts over a period of 4 to 5 months. All of the cells were found to have the potential to divide into distinct cell-types, including cells of the gut, cartilage, bone, muscle, nervous system, and outer layers of the skin. Researchers at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, Maryland, conducted a second study, published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. In that effort, researchers isolated what they call primordial germ cells (PGCs) in samples of human fetal tissue. These primordial cells — early forms of egg and sperm cells — were then cultured in the laboratory while submerged within a specially designed nutrient 'soup.' The investigators report that "over a period of 7 to 21 days, PGCs gave rise to large multicellular colonies'' resembling groups of human stem cells. These cells eventually differentiated, as expected, into cells representative of various types of body tissues. Dr. John Gearhart, leader of the Johns Hopkins effort, says the discovery should prove a huge boon to scientific research. ''These cells will... let us study human processes in a way we couldn't before,'' he explained. "Instead of having to rely on mice or other substitutes for human tissues, we'll have a unique resource that we can start applying to medicine.'' However, researchers expect that stem cell technologies will have their most profound impact on the emerging science of tissue 'farming' — the growth of neural, organ, or other tissues within the laboratory. "Not only should scientists be able to generate specific nerve, muscle, skin or other cells for transplantation, but we should also be able to alter these cells, as has been done in mouse studies, to reduce the likelihood of rejection,'' Gearhart said. He explained that ''more specific cells could become transplant therapies for diabetes, spinal cord injury, neurodegenerative disorders like Parkinson's disease, muscular dystrophies, atherosclerosis and wound healing.'' Both studies were funded by the biopharmaceutical company Geron, Inc., of Menlo Park, California. A company statement outlined the next steps in the ongoing research effort as "the development and optimization of enabling technologies.'' Geron officials hope those optimized technologies will include methods of successfully directing stem cells to grow into specific types of human tissues. SOURCES: Science 1998;282:1145-1147, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 1998;95:13726-13731. is it morning yet?????????????????

To: B.D.K. who wrote (1066)	11/5/1998 10:50:00 PM
From: Evan Dimmer	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 3576

for all of the GERN doubters.... I think it's important to add that ENMD had a ratio (shares short/ave. daily volume) of 2 something before the big runup.....only 175,000 or so shares....and had millions the next month. ENMD didn't run up on short covering like KTEL has in the past....the runup came from other factors....and even if shorters of ENMD covered right away....175,000 shares isn't gonna do much to bring it up to 85 at the open. So right now I'd consider GERN and ENMD in the same position before their runups. People do learn from their mistakes....so I'd think an open at 90 is not possible. But...GERN will have a nice gap...and then start to climb...something ENMD didn't do. Buying at the open will not give people the problems that it did with ENMD....THERE'S STILL MONEY TO BE MADE STARTING TOMORROW MORNING!!!!!! (and i'll be one of those tryin')