
Stem Cell Innovations PluriCells(TM) provide an alternative to ES cells and are available for broad-based government funding. PluriCells(TM) are a type of pluripotent stem cell isolated from fetal tissue that have the ability to become all cell types of the body. Because they are developed from fetal germ cells, not viable embryos, they are eligible to be used in any NIH-funded laboratory. Stem cells derived from fetal germ cells were explicitly excluded from the Presidential ban by the Department of Health and Human Services guidance document of March 19, 2002, that laid out what type of stem cells could and could not be used in Federally funded research (for the actual document see: http://www.hhs.gov/ohrp/humansubjects/guidance/stemcell.pdf). "While PluriCells(TM) are not yet widely available, we are actively pursuing arrangements to provide our cells to a number of university researchers throughout the world," Kelly said. "We have previously presented data demonstrating our ability to grow PluriCells(TM) efficiently and reproducibly without feeder layers, and believe they can serve as an attractive alternative to embryonic stem cells in federally funded labs."
Following the Presidential veto, a number of prominent people in the field expressed their frustration with the outcome. Robert Klein, chairman of the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine, pointed out that the institute could "...get greater leverage out of our $3 billion if we were able to use federally funded facilities currently in place." Stanford Nobel laureate Paul Berg said, "...it is not just the money. Equipment and laboratory space supported with federal dollars cannot be used for research with the newer stem-cell lines." Irving Weissman, director of Stanford's Institute for Stem Cell Biology and Regenerative Medicine, noted that, for example, analyzing the genes from new stem-cell lines can not be done at federally funded facilities on the campus.
The company pointed out that its PluriCells(TM) could address all these concerns and provide researchers with the opportunity to work with human pluripotent cells in their own labs.
About Stem Cell Innovations, Inc.
SCI is a cell biology company with offices in Scotch Plains, N.J., Houston, TX, and in Leiden, the Netherlands. Stem Cell Innovations proprietary, human pluripotent stem cells, known as PluriCells(TM), have the potential to aid in drug discovery, toxicology, and cell therapy. Stem Cell Innovations (SCI) is in the process of making its patented pluripotent cell lines, which are eligible for federal funding in the U.S., widely available to universities and other not-for-profit institutions to rapidly advance stem cell research.
Stem Cell Innovations is positioned to become a leading provider of toxicology testing and discovery systems for the pharmaceutical, chemical, and nutraceutical industries around the world. The development of the proprietary PluriCell technology greatly expands the Company's currently marketed C3A human liver cell-based toxicology offerings.
Additional information is available at www.stemcellinnovations.com.
PluriCells is a Trademark of Stem Cell Innovations, Inc.
Forward-Looking Statement
This report contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. The Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 provides a "safe harbor" for forward looking statements. Forward-Looking statements are not statements of historical facts, but rather reflect our current expectations concerning future events and results. We use words such as "expects," "intends," "believes," "may," "will" and "anticipates" to indicate forward-looking statements. Because theses forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties, there are important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied by these forward-looking statements, including, but not limited to, those risks and uncertainties detailed in the Company's periodic reports filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission. We caution that these risk factors may not be exhaustive. We operate in a continually changing business environment, and new risk factors emerge from time to time. We cannot predict these new risk factors, nor can we assess the effect, if any, of the new risk factors on our business or the extent to which any factor or combination of factors may cause actual results to differ from those expressed or implied by these forward-looking statements.
If any one or more or these expectations and assumptions proves incorrect, actual results will likely differ materially from those contemplated by the forward-looking statements. Even if all of the foregoing assumptions and expectations prove correct, actual results may still differ materially from those expressed in the forward-looking statements as a result of factors we may not anticipate or that may be beyond our control. While we cannot assess the future impact that any of these differences could have on our business, financial condition, results of operations and cash flows or the market price of shares of our common stock, the difference could be significant. We do not undertake to update any forward-looking statements made by us, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise. You are cautioned.
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