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
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