PALO ALTO, Calif., Feb. 16, 2010 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- StemCells, Inc. (Nasdaq:STEM) announced today the launch of GS2-M™, a new cell culture medium that enables the derivation and long-term maintenance of true (germline competent) mouse induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells. GS2-M, the latest addition to the Company's growing SC Proven® line of specialty cell culture products, has been shown to increase the efficiency of reprogramming 'pre-iPS' cells to derive fully pluripotent stem cells, and to maintain mouse iPS cells in a definitive pluripotent state in long-term culture.1,2
The majority of preclinical iPS cell research being done today involves the use of mouse cells. For this reason, GS2-M is expected to be of significant interest to scientists in the expanding field of iPS cell research.
"GS2-M will allow researchers to reprogram somatic cells and achieve fully pluripotent mouse stem cells with greater efficiency than ever before," said Stewart Craig, senior vice president, development and operations at StemCells, Inc. "Unlike other media formulations, GS2-M does not contain any undefined factors such as serum, and it does not require the use of feeder cells, making it faster and easier to consistently generate and maintain pure mouse iPS cell lines."
GS2-M is the second new SC Proven® product to launch this year. Last month, StemCells launched GS1-R™, the first commercially available cell culture medium to enable the derivation, maintenance and growth of true rat embryonic stem (ES) cells. GS2-M and GS1-R, together with the Company's other SC Proven products, enable leading edge stem cell research, which is expected to play an increasingly important role in the future of medicine.
The defined, serum- and feeder-free GS2-M media formulation is based on the '2i' technology recently developed by prominent academic researchers in the United Kingdom, which has been exclusively licensed to StemCells, Inc. GS2-M contains selective small molecule inhibitors that block differentiation-inducing signals and promote cell survival, enabling the long-term maintenance of germline competent mouse iPS cells in a pluripotent state. Additionally, in the presence of leukemia inhibitory factor (LIF), GS2-M facilitates the conversion of partially reprogrammed, or 'pre-iPS', cells into fully pluripotent stem cells. For more information about GS2-M and the Company's other SC Proven cell culture products, interested parties are invited to visit www.scproven.com.
About StemCells, Inc.
StemCells, Inc. is focused on the development and commercialization of cell-based technologies. In its cellular medicine programs, StemCells is targeting diseases of the central nervous system and liver. StemCells' lead product candidate, HuCNS-SC® cells (purified human neural stem cells), is in clinical development for the treatment of two fatal neurodegenerative disorders that primarily affect young children. StemCells also markets specialty cell culture products under the brand SC Proven®, and is developing its cell-based technologies for use in drug screening and drug development. The Company has exclusive rights to approximately 55 issued or allowed U.S. patents and approximately 200 granted or allowed non-U.S. patents. Further information about StemCells is available at www.stemcellsinc.com.
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References
(1) Silva J, et al. Promotion of Reprogramming to Ground State Pluripotency by Signal Inhibition. PLoS Biology 6: e253, 2008.
(2) Silva J, et al. Nanog is the Gateway to the Pluripotent Ground State. Cell 138 (4): 722-737, 2009.
Apart from statements of historical fact, the text of this press release constitutes forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, and is subject to the safe harbors created therein. These statements include, but are not limited to, the ability of GS2-M to enable the derivation and long-term maintenance of true (germline competent) mouse iPS cells and to facilitate researchers' efforts to advance their iPS cell research objectives; the competitive advantages of GS2-M, including its ability to provide a more efficient path to achieve pure iPS cells than competing products; the potential for the Company's cell-based therapeutics to treat neurodegenerative diseases and other diseases or disorders; and the future business operations of the Company, including its ability to conduct clinical trials as well as its other research and product development efforts. These forward-looking statements speak only as of the date of this news release. The Company does not undertake to update any of these forward-looking statements to reflect events or circumstances that occur after the date hereof. Such statements reflect management's current views and are based on certain assumptions that may or may not ultimately prove valid. The Company's actual results may vary materially from those contemplated in such forward-looking statements due to risks and uncertainties to which the Company is subject regarding the Company's ability to obtain the increased capital resources needed to continue its current operations and to conduct the research, preclinical development and clinical trials necessary for regulatory approvals; its ability to successfully compete with other products on the market; and other factors that are described under the heading "Risk Factors" in the Company's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2008, and in its subsequent reports on Form 10-Q and Form 8-K.