Advanced Cell Technology, Inc.

lil' sis · 11-25-2001, 10:44 AM

ADVANCED CELL TECHNOLOGY REPORTS

PUBLICATION OF RESULTS OF HUMAN SOMATIC CELL

NUCLEAR TRANSFER AND PARTHENOGENESIS

-- Important Milestone in Therapeutic Cloning--

Worcester, MA - November 25, 2001 - Advanced Cell Technology, Inc. (ACT) today announced publication of its research on human somatic cell nuclear transfer and parthenogenesis. The report, published in today's Journal of Regenerative Medicine, provides the first proof that reprogrammed human cells can supply tissue for transplantation.

Human embryonic stem (ES) cells, and other cells derived from the inner cell mass of the preimplantation embryo are totipotent, that is, they are capable of forming any cell or tissue in the human body. While numerous human ES cell lines are now in existence, they are of little value in human transplantation, as they would be rejected by a patient as foreign. Human therapeutic cloning has the potential to solve this problem by providing cells that are an exact genetic match for the patient.

ACT's paper reports preliminary studies on two means of manufacturing such cells. The first method is parthenogenesis. In this technique an egg cell is activated without being fertilized by a sperm cell. A patient in need of a particular cell or tissue type provides the egg cell, the activated egg cell forms a preimplantation embryo, and the resulting stem cells are differentiated into the type of tissue the patient needs. The paper reports success in activating egg cells in this manner to form many-celled embryos resembling blastocysts. The paper does not report data on stem cell isolation.

In a second series of studies, the company performed somatic cell nuclear transfer (cloning) to form preimplantation embryos. In this instance, human egg cells were prepared by removing their DNA and adding the DNA from a human somatic (body) cell. The paper reports that the somatic nuclei showed evidence of reprogramming to an embryonic state as evidenced by pronuclear development (a type of nucleus observed only in the fertilized egg) and by early embryonic development to the six-cell stage. Again, the company did not report on stem cell isolation.

"Our preliminary results add to the weight of evidence that human cell reprogramming is possible," said Jose B. Cibelli, Ph.D., D.VM., Vice-President of Research at ACT and the first author of the report. "We understand that these are early and preliminary results, but given the importance of this emerging field of medicine we decided to publish our results now."

The company's goal in applying cloning to human medicine is to create stem cells capable of differentiating into a variety of cells, such as heart cells, neurons, blood cells or islets for transplant therapies. "These are exciting preliminary results," said Robert P. Lanza, M.D., Vice President of Medical and Scientific Development at ACT and an author on the paper. "This work sets the stage for human therapeutic cloning as a potentially limitless source of immune-compatible cells for tissue engineering and transplantation medicine. Our intention is not to create cloned human beings, but rather to make lifesaving therapies for a wide range of human disease conditions, including diabetes, strokes, cancer, AIDS, and neurodegenerative disorders such as Parkinson's and Alzheimer's disease."

"Human therapeutic cloning could be used for a host of age-related diseases," said Michael D. West, Ph.D. the company's CEO and an author of the paper, "if the human cells behave as animal cells have in previous studies, we may have found a means of rebuilding the lifespan of cells at the same time. This would allow us to supply young cells of any kind, identical to the patient, that could be used to address the tidal wave of age-related disease that will accompany the aging of the population."

Researchers from Advanced Cell Technology collaborated with scientists from Duncan Holly Biomedical of Somerville, Massachusetts on the paper. The other authors are Kerrianne Cunniff of ACT, and Ann A. Kiessling and Charlotte Richards.

Advanced Cell Technology is a biotechnology company focused on discovering and developing cloning technology for human medicine and agriculture.

Additional information at the following links:

http://www.advancedcell.com

http://www.liebertpub.com/ebi

http://www.sciam.com

http://www.usnews.com

Contact:

Advanced Cell Technology

Michael D. West, Ph.D.

Chief Executive Officer

(508) 756-1212

Wise Young · 11-25-2001, 11:07 PM

The USA Today article is quite comprehensive and I think people might be interested that the nucleus that served to make the cloned human embryo came from a 40-year old doctor who uses a wheelchair:

http://www.usnews.com/usnews/issue/0...c/3cloning.htm

Scientists have finally cloned a human embryo
The breakthrough promises cures for terrible diseases. Here's the inside story:

Cover story 3 December 2001

BY JOANNIE FISCHER

Physically, Judson Somerville didn't feel a thing. When he took the cigar-cutter-like tool and clipped a chunk of skin cells from his right calf last April, there was no pain. The 40-year-old Texas physician has been using a wheelchair for years, paralyzed from the chest down, the result of a terrible cycling accident. But emotionally, that was another story. Cutting the skin from his calf, Somerville says, he felt the thrill of being a sort of astronaut, a pioneer. By donating his skin cells, Somerville was volunteering for nothing less than service on the frontier of human cloning.

... the article is quite lengthy

mk99 · 11-26-2001, 01:35 AM

After learning of the very exciting news, Bush clearly stated that he is 100% against this. No big surprise there.

Congress wants to take some time to understand the issue. I think this is an excellent idea. A delayed but informed decision is much better to a knee-jerk reaction based on ignorance which would result in a total ban.

Wise: where do you see things going with anti-cloning laws, etc?

I think (& hope) the situation in Afghanistan & the War on Terror in General will soon move to a different & quieter phase. This will allow a return to discussion about issues such as stem cells & cloning. Round2 is coming up!

DA · 11-26-2001, 07:17 AM

the first fly was cloned in 1994. they said it would take 20 years to be able to clone a human.
amazing what they can do if they only TRY.
the first mice was cured of paralysis in 1995. they said it would take 20 years to tranfer over to humans. sci researchers are sticking to their plans unlike them cloning scientist showing off by finishing years ahead of schedule.

tigger74 · 11-26-2001, 09:58 AM

I bet if Bush daughter's were in a wreck and had a spinal cord injury he'd be for this. Probably wouldn't have no problem getting funding for spinal cord research then, now would we?

Chris Chappell · 11-26-2001, 01:25 PM

Should read the article posted in U.S. News & World Report. Wise filed the link under his response - below.

After reading it you should be very excited about the potential.

11-25-2001, 10:44 AM	#1
lil' sis Member Join Date: Nov 2001 Posts: 35	Advanced Cell Technology, Inc. ADVANCED CELL TECHNOLOGY REPORTS PUBLICATION OF RESULTS OF HUMAN SOMATIC CELL NUCLEAR TRANSFER AND PARTHENOGENESIS -- Important Milestone in Therapeutic Cloning-- Worcester, MA - November 25, 2001 - Advanced Cell Technology, Inc. (ACT) today announced publication of its research on human somatic cell nuclear transfer and parthenogenesis. The report, published in today's Journal of Regenerative Medicine, provides the first proof that reprogrammed human cells can supply tissue for transplantation. Human embryonic stem (ES) cells, and other cells derived from the inner cell mass of the preimplantation embryo are totipotent, that is, they are capable of forming any cell or tissue in the human body. While numerous human ES cell lines are now in existence, they are of little value in human transplantation, as they would be rejected by a patient as foreign. Human therapeutic cloning has the potential to solve this problem by providing cells that are an exact genetic match for the patient. ACT's paper reports preliminary studies on two means of manufacturing such cells. The first method is parthenogenesis. In this technique an egg cell is activated without being fertilized by a sperm cell. A patient in need of a particular cell or tissue type provides the egg cell, the activated egg cell forms a preimplantation embryo, and the resulting stem cells are differentiated into the type of tissue the patient needs. The paper reports success in activating egg cells in this manner to form many-celled embryos resembling blastocysts. The paper does not report data on stem cell isolation. In a second series of studies, the company performed somatic cell nuclear transfer (cloning) to form preimplantation embryos. In this instance, human egg cells were prepared by removing their DNA and adding the DNA from a human somatic (body) cell. The paper reports that the somatic nuclei showed evidence of reprogramming to an embryonic state as evidenced by pronuclear development (a type of nucleus observed only in the fertilized egg) and by early embryonic development to the six-cell stage. Again, the company did not report on stem cell isolation. "Our preliminary results add to the weight of evidence that human cell reprogramming is possible," said Jose B. Cibelli, Ph.D., D.VM., Vice-President of Research at ACT and the first author of the report. "We understand that these are early and preliminary results, but given the importance of this emerging field of medicine we decided to publish our results now." The company's goal in applying cloning to human medicine is to create stem cells capable of differentiating into a variety of cells, such as heart cells, neurons, blood cells or islets for transplant therapies. "These are exciting preliminary results," said Robert P. Lanza, M.D., Vice President of Medical and Scientific Development at ACT and an author on the paper. "This work sets the stage for human therapeutic cloning as a potentially limitless source of immune-compatible cells for tissue engineering and transplantation medicine. Our intention is not to create cloned human beings, but rather to make lifesaving therapies for a wide range of human disease conditions, including diabetes, strokes, cancer, AIDS, and neurodegenerative disorders such as Parkinson's and Alzheimer's disease." "Human therapeutic cloning could be used for a host of age-related diseases," said Michael D. West, Ph.D. the company's CEO and an author of the paper, "if the human cells behave as animal cells have in previous studies, we may have found a means of rebuilding the lifespan of cells at the same time. This would allow us to supply young cells of any kind, identical to the patient, that could be used to address the tidal wave of age-related disease that will accompany the aging of the population." Researchers from Advanced Cell Technology collaborated with scientists from Duncan Holly Biomedical of Somerville, Massachusetts on the paper. The other authors are Kerrianne Cunniff of ACT, and Ann A. Kiessling and Charlotte Richards. Advanced Cell Technology is a biotechnology company focused on discovering and developing cloning technology for human medicine and agriculture. Additional information at the following links: http://www.advancedcell.com http://www.liebertpub.com/ebi http://www.sciam.com http://www.usnews.com Contact: Advanced Cell Technology Michael D. West, Ph.D. Chief Executive Officer (508) 756-1212

11-26-2001, 01:35 AM	#3
mk99 Senior Member Join Date: Jul 2001 Location: toronto, canada Posts: 3,494	So what happens now? After learning of the very exciting news, Bush clearly stated that he is 100% against this. No big surprise there. Congress wants to take some time to understand the issue. I think this is an excellent idea. A delayed but informed decision is much better to a knee-jerk reaction based on ignorance which would result in a total ban. Wise: where do you see things going with anti-cloning laws, etc? I think (& hope) the situation in Afghanistan & the War on Terror in General will soon move to a different & quieter phase. This will allow a return to discussion about issues such as stem cells & cloning. Round2 is coming up!

11-26-2001, 01:25 PM	#6
Chris Chappell Senior Member Join Date: Jul 2001 Location: Denver, CO Posts: 7,035	Everyone Should read the article posted in U.S. News & World Report. Wise filed the link under his response - below. After reading it you should be very excited about the potential.

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11-25-2001, 11:07 PM	#2
Wise Young Administrator Join Date: Jul 2001 Location: New Brunswick, NJ, USA Posts: 37,972	The USA Today article is quite comprehensive and I think people might be interested that the nucleus that served to make the cloned human embryo came from a 40-year old doctor who uses a wheelchair: http://www.usnews.com/usnews/issue/0...c/3cloning.htm Scientists have finally cloned a human embryo The breakthrough promises cures for terrible diseases. Here's the inside story: Cover story 3 December 2001 BY JOANNIE FISCHER Physically, Judson Somerville didn't feel a thing. When he took the cigar-cutter-like tool and clipped a chunk of skin cells from his right calf last April, there was no pain. The 40-year-old Texas physician has been using a wheelchair for years, paralyzed from the chest down, the result of a terrible cycling accident. But emotionally, that was another story. Cutting the skin from his calf, Somerville says, he felt the thrill of being a sort of astronaut, a pioneer. By donating his skin cells, Somerville was volunteering for nothing less than service on the frontier of human cloning. ... the article is quite lengthy

11-26-2001, 07:17 AM	#4
DA Senior Member Join Date: Jul 2001 Location: beaumont tx usa Posts: 32,390	the first fly was cloned in 1994. they said it would take 20 years to be able to clone a human. amazing what they can do if they only TRY. the first mice was cured of paralysis in 1995. they said it would take 20 years to tranfer over to humans. sci researchers are sticking to their plans unlike them cloning scientist showing off by finishing years ahead of schedule.

11-26-2001, 09:58 AM	#5
tigger74 Senior Member Join Date: Oct 2001 Location: Arkansas Posts: 802	I bet if Bush daughter's were in a wreck and had a spinal cord injury he'd be for this. Probably wouldn't have no problem getting funding for spinal cord research then, now would we?