International Stem Cell Corp. (ISCO)

[QualityStocks]

ISCO Recognized with Prestigious Award by the American Association for the Study of Liver Disease

California biotechnology company International Stem Cell Corp. has announced that the American Association for the Study of Liver Disease (AASLD) awarded the company with its Presidential Poster of Distinction at the 64th Annual Liver Meeting in Washington, D.C.

”Being awarded such a prestigious honor is a testament to the quality of our scientific team,” said Ruslan Semechkin, Ph.D., ISCO’s Chief Scientific Officer. “The data presented at this conference demonstrates the unique nature of our hepatocytes cells (HLCs) and their potential efficacy in a clinical setting.”

ISCO focuses on the therapeutic applications of human parthenogenetic stem cells (hpSCs) and the development and commercialization of cell-based research. The AASLD recognized a pre-clinical study whose data demonstrated that transplantation of hpSC-derived HLCs elicits a significant decrease and long-term stabilization of bilirubin levels in the serum of Gunn rats. Moreover, at four months following treatment, no adverse safety signals were detected.

Gunn rats are a well-established animal model of Crigler-Najjar syndrome type 1 (CN1), an inborn error of bilirubin metabolism. CN1 is a rare inherited liver-based metabolic disorder in which the host liver lacks one hepatic enzyme, UGT1A1, which is essential for the conjugation and excretion of the toxin bilirubin.

ISCO’s pre-clinical study provides evidence that supports the potential safety and efficacy of HLCs which could constitute a reliable source for large numbers of transplantable cells. In the long-term, experience with HLC transplantation for CN1 could potentially be used to develop therapeutic strategies for more common inherited liver diseases.

Interested parties can access more information about the company at its website, www.internationalstemcell.com