Ocata Therapeutics Inc fka OCAT

[2020]

Tuesday, Oct. 26, 2010
Contact: Elizabeth Donley, Chief Executive Officer
Stemina Biomarker Discovery
[phone] (office); [phone] (cell)
[e-mail]

Stem cell scientists stress need for continued support of
human embryonic stem cell research
Heated election rhetoric threatens to undermine critical strides in
human embryonic and adult stem cell research
MADISON, Wis. – Concerned by election rhetoric that portrays adult
stem cells as adequate substitutes for human embryonic stem cells,
several leading scientists joined with a patient advocate and the
founders of a growing biotechnology company Tuesday to set the record
straight before voters head to the polls next week.
“Stem cell research is a critical issue for Wisconsin families, and
it’s important for people to have the facts,’’ said Michelle Alswager,
whose family has been affected by juvenile diabetes. “Thanks to our
state’s scientific leadership, human embryonic stem cell research is
advancing patient care and offering new hope to families who have been
affected by serious health challenges. As a result, we believe it is
critical to dispel myths that have become part of the political
dialogue this election season.’’
Specifically, said Tim Kamp, M.D., Ph.D, and David Gamm, M.D., Ph.D.,
human embryonic stem cells, induced pluripotent stem cells and adult
stem cells are not equivalent to one another and are not functional
substitutes for each other in medical research. Kamp, Gamm and others
spoke at a news briefing Tuesday at Stemina Biomarker Discovery in
Madison.
Kamp and Gamm said doctors and scientists are particularly concerned
that some groups are using political speech to deny the very real
scientific and medical progress that is occurring with human embryonic
stem cells.
Advances with human embryonic stem cells include the recent
announcement by Geron Corp., a licensee of the Wisconsin Alumni
Research Foundation, that it has treated a spinal cord injury patient
in Atlanta as part of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s first
approved human trial using a human embryonic stem cell therapy.
While Geron is working to help patients with new spinal cord
treatments, Advanced Cell Technology is seeking permission from the
FDA to proceed with clinical trials of a human embryonic stem therapy
related to vision. Advanced Cell has prepared lab-grown retinal
pigment epithelium cells for patients with an eye disorder called
Stargardt’s macular dystrophy, a childhood version of macular
degeneration. In addition, research at the University of Wisconsin–
Madison is looking at performing pre-clinical studies for other causes
of blindness using induced pluripotent stem cells.
Madison’s own Stemina Biomarker Discovery also has made dramatic
progress. Founded in 2006 by Gabriela Cezar, a UW–Madison assistant
professor in the College of Agricultural and Life Sciences, and
Elizabeth Donley, former general counsel for WARF, Stemina provides
drug screening and other services using human embryonic stem cells and
induced pluripotent stem cells for different purposes.
“One of our products, devTOX, is an assay or test that helps screen
drugs and environmental chemicals for their potential to cause birth
defects if a woman is exposed during pregnancy,’’ Donley said. “This
test offers the opportunity to identify drugs and chemicals that may
cause birth defects and to study human development in a way that is
not possible with other types of stem cells. We also use human
embryonic stem cells to identify biomarkers that provide the potential
for early diagnosis of diseases. It would be a shame to lose the
opportunity to save lives and avoid potentially fatal birth defects
simply because there is a lack of understanding about the importance
of human embryonic stem cell research.’’
Human embryonic stem cells are blank-slate, or pluripotent, cells that
have the capacity to differentiate into any of the more than 220 cell
types in the human body. First derived by UW–Madison’s James Thomson
in 1998 using donated embryos left over from in vitro fertilization
patients, the Bush Administration approved 21 human embryonic stem
cell lines for federally funded research in 2001.
The documented performance of the cells and their ability to divide
indefinitely means human embryonic stem cells continue to play a vital
role in international research. Induced pluripotent stem cells,
derived in 2007 from reprogrammed skin and other cells, show some
differences from human embryonic stem cells yet also are the focus of
much promising research. Naturally occurring adult stem cells, such as
bone marrow cells, were discovered more than 50 years ago and continue
to find new uses for treating cancer and blood diseases.
Kamp, director of UW–Madison’s Stem Cell & Regenerative Medicine
Center, said potential applications for all of the cell types are
expanding, with advancements in one area often contributing to
achievements in the others. However, the overall progress does not
mean one type of cell can substitute for another.
Human embryonic stem cells continue to be the “gold standard’’ for a
master stem cell type and advancing scientists’ understanding of the
new induced pluripotent stem cells requires careful comparison with
embryonic stem cells. Without access to such critical control systems,
Kamp said scientists could wind up wasting precious time and
resources. Handicapping the ability of researchers to do the
scientifically indicated experiments will put the U.S. at a
competitive disadvantage relative to other countries where this
research flourishes. In the end, it will result in lost opportunities
for new jobs and first access to promising new treatments for a range
of diseases.
“We need to continue exploring every avenue because there are
advantages, disadvantages and varying capabilities with these cell
types,’’ Kamp said. “For example, although adult stem cells show great
promise at being able to repair heart and nerve tissue, acquiring
adult heart and brain stem cells would require invasive and risky
procedures. And induced pluripotent stem cells have shown a tendency
to retain memory of their original cell type, so we still have some
hurdles to overcome compared with our progress in human embryonic stem
cells.’’
Kamp and Gamm, a UW–Madison stem cell researcher and assistant
professor of ophthalmology, pointed to recent studies that highlight
some of the differences among the cells. While it is true that the
cells show striking similarities in some respects, the recent studies
show important distinctions.
One paper, published earlier this year in Nature by Harvard scientist
George Daley, found that cell-type origin affected the efficiency of
the differentiation process. A second study, published in Nature
Biotechnology by Konrad Hochedlinger and colleagues at the
Massachusetts General Hospital Center for Regenerative Medicine,
described the extent to which induced pluripotent stem cells retained
genetic markers from their past lives as skin, blood or other types of
progenitor cells.

UW–Madison’s Gamm said such studies are providing important new
insights into critical aspects of human cell development and raise new
possibilities for patients, their families and society. At this
critical point, it would be unfortunate for polarizing rhetoric to
translate into new and excessive restrictions on research or
uncertainties for scientists who are working to manage complex
interdisciplinary projects that involve the living cells.
“Human embryonic stem cell research is an important component of an
intense effort to better understand and find treatments for incurable
diseases,’’ Gamm said. “Furthermore, human embryonic stem cells serve
as the blueprint for human adult induced pluripotent stem cells, a
complementary technology that our lab and many others on campus are
working hard to advance.”
Participants in Tuesday’s briefing pointed to the early days of human
embryonic stem cell research as a time when political leaders with a
variety of viewpoints were able to come together, put aside rhetoric
and find room for compromise. As voters head to the polls this
election season, the participants expressed hope that such
opportunities are not lost in the future.

****
Quick facts on human embryonic stem cell research in Wisconsin:
UW–Madison scientists currently have 21 projects with federal funding
commitments for approximately $5 million per year for human embryonic
stem cell research. The Medical College of Wisconsin has another $2
million to $3 million per year in federally funded human embryonic
stem cell research.
Private companies such as Stemina also receive federal money for
contract research. Stemina currently employs nine and works on both
public and privately funded research and product development.

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