Program Highlights Accomplishments of Company's Chief Scientific Officer and Blastomere Program
The show profiled the lives of several people who are currently 100 years old or older and described some of the most promising scientific developments that could extend life. Advanced Cell Technology’s technology platform was included among the scientific breakthroughs.
In August 2006, Advanced Cell Technology reported in the journal Nature that company scientists had successfully generated hESCs using its blastomere technology, an approach that does not destroy the developmental potential of embryos. The blastomere technology has been reproduced and peer-reviewed on several occasions. In June 2007, ACT announced at the fifth annual meeting of the International Society for Stem Cell Research in Cairns, Australia, that it had reproduced its work by successfully producing an hESC line without destroying an embryo at its lab in Worcester, Massachusetts.
In January 2008, ACT together with colleagues announced the development of five hESC lines without the destruction of embryos. The method was published in the journal Cell Stem Cells, published by Cell Press. The peer-reviewed technique was initially carried out by ACT scientists under the direction of Dr. Lanza and then independently replicated by scientists on the West Coast. In addition, the NIH announced in 2007 that it would begin implementing President George W. Bush’s Executive Order to explore methods to expand the number of approved pluripotent stem cell lines “without creating a human embryo for research purposes or destroying, discarding, or subjecting to harm a human embryo or fetus.” ACT’s blastomere program was cited by the NIH as an alternative method in its implementation plan; therefore, should the company’s blastomere technique satisfy NIH qualifications, ACT could qualify for federal funding from the NIH.
In addition to its blastomere research platform, Advanced Cell Technology has made progress on the therapeutic front. ACT published positive data in the journal NATURE Methods for its HG (hemangioblast) cell program for the treatment of blood and cardiovascular diseases. The company published positive data from animal studies for its RPE (retinal pigment epithelial) cell program for the treatment of retinal degenerative disorders completed in collaboration with the Casey Eye Institute at Oregon Health and Science University.
Finally, ACT’s Myoblast program, an autologous adult stem cell therapy for the treatment of heart disease, has successfully completed four Phase I clinical trials and has clearance from the FDA to begin Phase II trials shortly.
