International Stem Cell Corporation (OTCBB:ISCO) develops a powerful new stem cell technology called “parthenogenesis†that promises to significantly advance the field of regenerative medicine by addressing the significant problem of immune-rejection.
Parthenogenesis utilizes unfertilized human eggs to create “parthenogenetic†stem cells (hpSC) that can be “immune-matched†to millions of persons of differing sexes and racial backgrounds. A relatively small number of hpSC lines could provide sufficient immune-matched cells to cover large parts of the world’s population. ISCO plans to create a bank of these valuable hpSC lines (UniStemCell™) to serve all populations across the world.
Human parthenogenetic stem cells have great therapeutic potential, yet do not require viable human embryos, thus avoiding ethical issues. ISCO’s scientists are focused on using hpSC to treat severe diseases of the eye, the nervous system and the liver where cell therapy has been proven clinically yet is limited by the availability of safe immune-matched human cells.
ISCO advances and operates three businesses: Lifeline Cell Technology, Lifeline Skin Care and Universal Stem Cell Bank.