NEWARK, Calif., March 20, 2013 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- StemCells, Inc. (Nasdaq:STEM) today announced that it has acquired from NsGene A/S, a privately held Danish biotechnology company, a patent family claiming GFAP+ Nestin+ cells, including U.S. Patent Nos. 6,878,543 and 7,303,912 and European patent application 00973148. GFAP and Nestin are proteins that are co-expressed by certain key cells found in the human central nervous system. Each patent claims a cell culture of undifferentiated GFAP+ Nestin+ cells wherein one or more cells have the capacity to differentiate into neurons and glia as do many neural stem and progenitor cells described by researchers. The invention claimed by the patents resulted from research conducted at NsGene while in pursuit of cell-based treatments for Parkinson’s disease. The terms of the patents extend into 2020 and 2021.