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Technique for Creating Authentic Rat Embryonic Stem Cells Published in Cell

Tuesday, December 30, 2008 General News
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CAMBRIDGE, England, December 29

- Technology Licensed Exclusively by Stem Cell Sciences

- ("Stem Cell Sciences", "SCS", "the Company")
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Stem Cell Sciences plc (AIM:STEM, ASX:STC) is pleased to announce thatpioneering research describing a technique for creating authentic embryonicstem (ES) cells from rats has been published in the prestigious peer-reviewedjournal, Cell (Ref. 1). This publication is believed to be the first in whichgerm-line transmission from rat ES cells has been definitively demonstrated.It uses technology licensed exclusively to SCS from the University ofEdinburgh and developed by Professor Austin Smith and his team, now atCambridge University. The technique is expected to allow the generation ofconsistently pure and stable rat ES cells, from which drug discovery assaysas well as genetically modified animals can be created for academic, medicaland pharmaceutical research.
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The rat has been a hugely important organism in medical research and drugdiscovery over the past 100 years, during which time a large body ofinformation on rat models of disease has been generated. Physiologicalprocesses and metabolic functions in the rat more closely mimic those of thehuman than do other model organisms such as the mouse and as a result the ratis regarded as the gold standard for studying the effects of drugs in thebody. However, further studies such as defining drug action or the geneticbasis of disease using rats have been hindered by the lack of sophisticated,precision genetic engineering, such as that achievable via ES cells in mice.Such barriers have now been overcome; by applying specific cell cultureconditions, authentic rat ES cells can be made which can be precisionengineered and then used to generate a completely novel range of rat models.

The main advantage afforded by this technology is that it allows thegeneration of both knock-out rat models, in which the effect of gene deletionis studied, as well as the generation of knock-in models, which involves theinsertion of genes, perhaps human genes, in a precisely defined manner. Forexample, in the case of knock-out models, a lack of response or differentresponse profile to drugs compared with non-engineered animals can provideinformation on drug efficacy. Alternatively, the insertion of genes such asthose involved in drug metabolism in the human liver means that knock-inmodels can provide information on drug safety & metabolism. Under the termsof its agreement with Edinburgh University, SCS has global exclusive rightsto commercialise pluripotent rat stem cells, the specific culture medium usedto generate and grow the cells, and rats derived therefrom.

Dr Alastair Riddell, Chief Executive Officer of Stem Cell Sciences, said,"The impact of this new technique could be far-reaching in terms of openingthe way to new and more effective drug discovery. Rat models are expected tobe highly predictive of human responses to drugs, particularly for inpsychiatric, neurological and cardiovascular areas. With this new techniqueallowing researchers to knock-in human genes it will be possible to conductdrug metabolism and toxicology studies with even higher predictability inrats than ever before. We expect there to be considerable commercial interestfrom companies wanting to access this exciting technology."

Reference

(1.) Buehr et al., Capture of Authentic Embryonic Stem Cells from RatBlastocysts, Cell (2008), doi:10.1016/j.cell.2008.12.007

About Stem Cell Sciences plc

Stem Cell Sciences (SCS) is an international research and developmentcompany focusing on the commercial application of stem cell biologytechnologies for drug discovery and regenerative medicine research. Stem CellSciences is now focussing on building revenues through the sale of products,collaborative research and licensing deals with international biotechnologyand pharmaceutical companies.

Stem Cell Sciences has a substantial portfolio of patents and patentapplications in both adult and embryonic stem cell fields. The Company hasbeen active in the stem cell research field since 1994, principally focusedon technologies to grow, differentiate, and purify adult and embryonic stemcells. These include technologies to permit the generation of highly purifiedstem cells and their differentiated progeny (specialised tissue cell types)for use in genetic, pharmacological and toxicological screens. Moreover,these technologies may be able to provide pure populations of appropriatecell types for transplantation therapies in the future.

The Company has its main research base and headquarters in Cambridge, UKwith a second research base in Monash near Melbourne, Australia and abusiness development office in San Francisco, USA.

For further information on the company please visit:http://www.stemcellsciences.comFor further information, please contact: Stem Cell Sciences plc (United Kingdom) Alastair Riddell, CEO Tim Allsopp, Chief Scientific Officer +44(0)1223-499160

SOURCE Stem Cell Sciences plc
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