StemCells issued U.S. stem cell patent

StemCells, Inc. has announced that the Company has been issued U.S. patent 6,777,233 for work done at the Company covering composition of matter claims for the human neural stem cell.

"This patent further strengthens StemCells' leading position in the human neural stem cell field," said Martin McGlynn, President & CEO of StemCells Inc. "The patent covers human neural stem cell cultures derived from any source, including embryonic as well as fetal, neonatal and adult tissue. Next year, we intend to begin the process of testing the potential of our neural stem cells in the clinic to treat a wide range of diseases of, or injuries to, the central nervous system. As we have previously announced, we intend to file our first IND by the first quarter of 2005 for a clinical trial in Batten Disease, a rare, fatal neurodegenerative lysosomal storage disorder affecting the central nervous system," McGlynn added.

StemCells, Inc. is a biotechnology company focused on the discovery, development and commercialization of stem cell-based therapies to treat diseases of the nervous system, liver, and pancreas. The Company's stem cell programs seek to repair or repopulate neural or other tissue that has been damaged or lost as a result of disease or injury.