International Stem Cell Corp. (ISCO) Provides Hope
Post# of 124
Posted On: 02/17/2016 3:52:57 PM
International Stem Cell Corp. (ISCO) Provides Hope for Parkinson’s Patients with Ethical Stem Cell Development
Parkinson’s disease is caused by death of dopamine-producing cells in a brain region called the substantia nigra, which hampers movement. Current treatments focus primarily on replacing the lost dopamine, but these treatments eventually fail because the dopamine-making cells continue to die. For this reason, stem cell therapy is of interest. International Stem Cell Corporation (OTCQB: ISCO) is a biotechnology company that focuses on the development of therapeutic and biomedical products worldwide. The company’s products are based on human parthenogenetic stem cells, a proprietary type of pluripotent stem cells. International Stem Cell Corp. develops cell types, including neural stem cells, for the treatment of Parkinson’s disease and other neurological disorders.
Parkinson’s disease is a chronic and progressive movement disorder, meaning that symptoms continue and worsen over time. Nearly one million people in the U.S. are living with Parkinson’s disease. The cause is unknown, and although there is presently no cure, there are treatment options such as medication and surgery to manage its symptoms.
The amount of money that the U.S. and individuals spend each year on Parkinson’s disease is staggering. The combined direct and indirect costs of Parkinson’s disease – including treatment, social security payments and lost income from inability to work – is estimated to be nearly $25 billion per year in the U.S. alone. Medication costs for an individual person with Parkinson’s average $2,500 a year, and therapeutic surgery can cost up to $100,000 per individual, according to the Parkinson’s Disease Foundation’s website (http://dtn.fm/4uIwr).
Stem cell research has the potential to significantly impact the development of disease-modifying treatments for Parkinson’s disease, and considerable progress has been made toward creating dopamine-producing cells from stem cells. The development of new cell models of Parkinson’s disease is a particularly promising area of stem cell research, as the current lack of progressive, predictive models of Parkinson’s disease remains a major barrier to drug development.
International Stem Cell Corp. has pioneered development of a new class of stem cells – human parthenogenetic stem cells (hpSCs) – that has the best characteristics of each of the other classes of stem cells. These stem cells are created by chemically stimulating the oocytes (eggs) to begin division. The oocytes are not fertilized and no viable embryo is created or destroyed. The ethical advantage of derivation from unfertilized oocytes, combined with immunomatching advantages, makes these stem cells a very promising source for cell-based therapy.
For more information, visit www.internationalstemcell.com
Please read full disclaimers at http://disclaimer.missionir.com
Parkinson’s disease is caused by death of dopamine-producing cells in a brain region called the substantia nigra, which hampers movement. Current treatments focus primarily on replacing the lost dopamine, but these treatments eventually fail because the dopamine-making cells continue to die. For this reason, stem cell therapy is of interest. International Stem Cell Corporation (OTCQB: ISCO) is a biotechnology company that focuses on the development of therapeutic and biomedical products worldwide. The company’s products are based on human parthenogenetic stem cells, a proprietary type of pluripotent stem cells. International Stem Cell Corp. develops cell types, including neural stem cells, for the treatment of Parkinson’s disease and other neurological disorders.
Parkinson’s disease is a chronic and progressive movement disorder, meaning that symptoms continue and worsen over time. Nearly one million people in the U.S. are living with Parkinson’s disease. The cause is unknown, and although there is presently no cure, there are treatment options such as medication and surgery to manage its symptoms.
The amount of money that the U.S. and individuals spend each year on Parkinson’s disease is staggering. The combined direct and indirect costs of Parkinson’s disease – including treatment, social security payments and lost income from inability to work – is estimated to be nearly $25 billion per year in the U.S. alone. Medication costs for an individual person with Parkinson’s average $2,500 a year, and therapeutic surgery can cost up to $100,000 per individual, according to the Parkinson’s Disease Foundation’s website (http://dtn.fm/4uIwr).
Stem cell research has the potential to significantly impact the development of disease-modifying treatments for Parkinson’s disease, and considerable progress has been made toward creating dopamine-producing cells from stem cells. The development of new cell models of Parkinson’s disease is a particularly promising area of stem cell research, as the current lack of progressive, predictive models of Parkinson’s disease remains a major barrier to drug development.
International Stem Cell Corp. has pioneered development of a new class of stem cells – human parthenogenetic stem cells (hpSCs) – that has the best characteristics of each of the other classes of stem cells. These stem cells are created by chemically stimulating the oocytes (eggs) to begin division. The oocytes are not fertilized and no viable embryo is created or destroyed. The ethical advantage of derivation from unfertilized oocytes, combined with immunomatching advantages, makes these stem cells a very promising source for cell-based therapy.
For more information, visit www.internationalstemcell.com
Please read full disclaimers at http://disclaimer.missionir.com
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