LOS ANGELES, Sept. 20 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- On Tuesday, September 18, 2007, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) announced 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.”
This announcement follows an Executive Order issued by President Bush on June 20, 2007, requiring that “The Secretary of Health and Human Services ... conduct and support research on the isolation, derivation, production, and testing of stem cells that are capable of producing all or almost all of the cell types of the developing body and may result in improved understanding of or treatments for diseases and other adverse health conditions, but are derived without creating a human embryo for research purposes or destroying, discarding, or subjecting to harm a human embryo or fetus.”
ACT’s groundbreaking Single Cell Biopsy technique was cited by the NIH as an alternative method in its implementation plan -- a technique successfully demonstrated by Robert Lanza, M.D., Vice President of Research and Scientific Development at Advanced Cell Technology, and his team. The NIH plan calls for “aggressively pursuing an assessment of the potential of alternative sources of pluripotent stem cell lines, including altered nuclear transfer; single cell embryo biopsy, and reprogramming, or dedifferentiation of somatic cells, such as skin cells.”
In August 2006, ACT published a paper in Nature documenting the technique for removing a single cell (known as a blastomere) from an eight-cell human embryo, and using that cell to generate multiple human embryonic stem cells without destroying the embryo. The NIH referred to ACT’s Nature article in its implementation plan. In June of this year, ACT announced that it had successfully produced 4 human embryonic stem cell lines without destroying the embryos at its lab in Worcester, Massachusetts. The embryo from which the cell was removed remains cryogenically preserved and remains a viable embryo. Should the company’s blastomere technique satisfy NIH qualifications, ACT could qualify for federal funding from the NIH.
“Our single cell blastomere technology directly addresses the President’s ethical concerns and, unlike the other potential solutions described in the order, is available today. We are encouraged by the NIH’s willingness to explore ways to increase the federally approved stem cell lines available and hope they will consider our technique for federal funding,” remarked William M. Caldwell IV, Chairman and CEO of Advanced Cell Technology. “We believe that such consideration reflects the will of the American people to bring novel therapies derived from stem cell research to patients with few or no alternatives.”
About Advanced Cell Technology, Inc.
Advanced Cell Technology, Inc. is a biotechnology company applying stem cell technology in the emerging field of regenerative medicine. The company operates facilities in California and Massachusetts.
For more information, visit http://www.advancedcell.com
Forward-Looking Statements
Statements in this news release regarding future financial and operating results, future growth in research and development programs, potential applications of our technology, opportunities for the company and any other statements about the future expectations, beliefs, goals, plans, or prospects expressed by management constitute forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Any statements that are not statements of historical fact (including statements containing the words “will,” “believes,” “plans,” “anticipates,” “expects,” “estimates,” and similar expressions) should also be considered to be forward- looking statements. There are a number of important factors that could cause actual results or events to differ materially from those indicated by such forward-looking statements, including: limited operating history, need for future capital, risks inherent in the development and commercialization of potential products, protection of our intellectual property, and economic conditions generally. Additional information on potential factors that could affect our results and other risks and uncertainties are detailed from time to time in the company’s periodic reports, including the report on Form 10-QSB for the quarter ended June 30, 2007. Forward-looking statements are based on the beliefs, opinions, and expectations of the company’s management at the time they are made, and the company does not assume any obligation to update its forward-looking statements if those beliefs, opinions, expectations, or other circumstances should change.
Forward-looking statements are based on the beliefs, opinions, and expectations of the company’s management at the time they are made, and the company does not assume any obligation to update its forward-looking statements if those beliefs, opinions, expectations, or other circumstances should change.
Advanced Cell Technology, Inc.
CONTACT: Media, Jordan Markwith of Chad Griffin Consulting, Inc.,+1-310-888-3523, or Investors, Andrew Hellman of CEOcast, Inc.,+1-212-732-4300, both for Advanced Cell Technology, Inc.
Web site: http://www.advancedcell.com//
