Natural health advocates have long advocated nutrient-dense whole grains over the bleached and processed kinds, like white rice and white bread. Brown rice, for example, is loaded with fiber, B vitamins, phytochemicals and other nutrients. Scientists are now documenting that it has specific disease-fighting properties, too. For example, NaturalNews recently reported on Temple University research that found a compound in brown rice which lowers blood pressure and may prevent heart attacks (http://www.dreddyclinic.com/diet/alcaline/alk_diet.php). Now Harvard School of Public Health (HSPH) investigators have discovered eating two or more servings of brown rice per week slashes the risk of type 2 diabetes.

"Rice consumption in the U.S. has dramatically increased in recent decades. We believe replacing white rice and other refined grains with whole grains, including brown rice, would help lower the risk of type 2 diabetes," Qi Sun, who headed the research while at HSPH and is now an instructor of medicine at Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston, said in a statement to the media. Read more...

Body cleansing

In a head-to-head competition held 10 years ago, scientists at the National Institutes of Health tested two promising new types of vaccine to see which might offer the strongest protection against one of the deadliest viruses on earth, the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) that causes AIDS. One vaccine consisted of DNA rings called plasmids, each carrying a gene for one of five HIV proteins. Its goal was to get the recipient’s own cells to make the viral proteins in the hope they would provoke protective reactions by immune cells. Instead of plasmids, the second vaccine used another virus called an adenovirus as a carrier for a single HIV gene encoding a viral protein. The rationale for this combination was to employ a “safe” virus to catch the attention of immune cells while getting them to direct their responses against the HIV protein.

One of us (Weiner) had already been working on DNA vaccines for eight years and was hoping for a major demonstration of the plasmids’ ability to induce immunity against a dreaded pathogen. Instead the test results dealt a major blow to believers in this first generation of DNA vaccines. The DNA recipients displayed only weak immune responses to the five HIV proteins or no response at all, whereas recipients of the adenovirus-based vaccine had robust reactions. To academic and pharmaceutical company researchers, adenoviruses clearly looked like the stronger candidates to take forward in developing HIV vaccines.

[More]

Immune system - National Institutes of Health - Vaccine - HIV - DNA

SU2C Innovative Researcher Vlog: Dr. Lawlor (Pt. 3). Video (3:09 min) posted July 13, 2010. Features Elizabeth R Lawlor, University of Michigan, an SU2C Innovative Research Grants Investigator. [About SU2C (Stand Up to Cancer)]. She provides brief comments about her project: "Modeling Ewing Tumor Initiation in Human Neural Crest Stem Cells". How do normal stem cells become cancer stem cells?

An example of a recent (OA) publication from her laboratory: CD133 expression in chemo-resistant Ewing sarcoma cells by
Xiaohua Jiang and 8 co-authors, including Elizabeth R Lawlor,
BMC Cancer 2010(Mar 26); 10: 116. [FriendFeed entry][PubMed citation][Full text via PMC].

Two articles, with Open Access (OA) to the full text (PDF):

Putative cancer stem cells in malignant pleural mesothelioma show resistance to cisplatin and pemetrexed, Int J Oncol 2010(Aug); 37(2): 437-44. [PubMed citation].

Possible involvement of stem-like populations with elevated ALDH1 in sarcomas for chemotherapeutic drug resistance, Oncol Rep 2010(Aug); 24(2): 501-5. [PubMed citation].

Comment about these journals:

Spandidos Publications publishes six journals. Of these six, two are: International Journal of Oncology (2009 Impact Factor: 2.4) and Oncology Reports (2009 Impact Factor: 1.6). This publisher provides a hybrid open access option. The Information for Authors for all six journals includes, at the bottom of the page, this information: "Should authors prefer or require their article to be freely available as soon as it has been published, they may request open access immediately upon publication for a fee of EUR 450."

International Stem Cell Corporation (OTCBB:ISCO), http://www.internationalstemcell.com, and Sankara Nethralaya, http://www.sankaranethralaya.org, announced today commencement of a collaboration to develop ISCO's 'CytoCor™' stem cell-derived corneal tissue. The goal is to use CytoCor to treat corneal blindness and vision impairment. 'This is one more step in ISCO's stated plan of building its portfolio of therapeutic agents through strategic alliances throughout the world,' said Chairman, Ken Aldrich.

CytoCor consists of transparent human tissue derived from pluripotent human stem cells. These structures are produced in the laboratory and recent testing at Sankara Nethralaya and laboratories in the US has demonstrated a range of structural, biochemical and refractory properties characteristic of human cornea.

CytoCor may offer a first-in-class opportunity for high-quality, cost-efficient transplantation tissue for the 10 million people world-wide suffering from corneal vision impairment, particularly in India and the rest of Asia, as well as in Europe. Standardized tissues derived from pluripotent stem cells, such as the CytoCor tissue, could eliminate the current problem that corneal tissue derived from donors may harbor diseases that could be transferred from the donor to the recipient. It may also provide a much needed alternative to the use of live and extracted animal eyes in the $500+million market for safety testing of drugs, chemicals and consumer products.

According to Professor Dr. S. Krishnakumar, 'Sankara Nethralaya is dedicated to the development and application of new state-of-the-art ophthalmic technologies. The need for high-volume, high-quality human corneal tissue is substantial, not only in India but across Asia and much of Europe. We appreciate the opportunity to join ISCO in their pursuit to create a new standard of care for the treatment of human corneal disease.' Initially, Dr. Krishnakumar and his team will be using the CytoCor tissue in preclinical studies to explore the ability of the tissue to withstand sutures and bio-compatible glues in order to validate the potential of the tissue for use in animal or human clinical trials.

According to Dr. Geetha Krishnan Iyer, who is involved in the management of ocular surface disease at Sankara Nethralaya, 'The team at Sankara Nethralaya is pleased to collaborate with ISCO on stem cell-derived corneal tissue. In vitro studies to evaluate safety and efficacy of the tissue, as well as surgical feasibility tests will be carried out, following which there could be clinical application in lamellar keratoplasty using the above mentioned tissue. With improvements in surgical techniques over the past few years, the indications for anterior lamellar keratoplasty have expanded significantly. With high demand for donor corneal tissue for the same but limited availability, there is definitely scope for utilizing ISCO's corneal tissue following relevant tests.'

Jeffrey Janus, Senior VP of Operations at ISCO, states: 'This collaboration with the excellent team of scientists and clinicians at Sankara Nethralaya has already proven to be productive. Sankara's ophthalmology expertise and ISCO's cell culture capabilities constitute a perfect match to perfect and advance CytoCor tissue towards future use in treating corneal disease and injuries.'

ABOUT INTERNATIONAL STEM CELL CORPORATION (ISCO.OB):

International Stem Cell Corporation is a California-based biotechnology company focused on therapeutic and research products. ISCO's core technology, parthenogenesis, results in creation of pluripotent human stem cells from unfertilized oocytes (eggs). These proprietary cells avoid ethical issues associated with use or destruction of viable human embryos and, unlike all other major stem cell types, can be immune matched and be a source of therapeutic cells with minimal rejection after transplantation into hundreds of millions of individuals across racial groups. ISCO also produces and markets specialized cells and growth media for therapeutic research worldwide through its subsidiary Lifeline Cell Technology and is developing a line of cosmeceutical products via its subsidiary Lifeline Skin Care. ISCO is advancing novel human stem cell-based therapies where cells have been proven to be efficacious but traditional small molecule and protein therapeutics have not. More information is available at ISCO's website, http://www.internationalstemcell.com.

To subscribe to receive ongoing corporate communications please click on the following link: http://www.b2i.us/irpass.asp?BzID=1468&to=ea&s=0.

FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS

Statements pertaining to anticipated technological developments and therapeutic applications, the potential benefits of collaborations, and other opportunities for the company and its subsidiaries, along with other statements about the future expectations, beliefs, goals, plans, or prospects expressed by management constitute forward-looking statements. Any statements that are not historical fact (including, but not limited to statements that contain words such as "will," "believes," "plans," "anticipates," "expects," "estimates,") should also be considered to be forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties, including, without limitation, risks inherent in the development and/or commercialization of potential products and the management of collaborations, uncertainty in the results of clinical trials or regulatory approvals, need and ability to obtain future capital, application of capital resources among competing uses, and maintenance of intellectual property rights. Actual results may differ materially from the results anticipated in these forward-looking statements and as such should be evaluated together with the many uncertainties that affect the company's business, particularly those mentioned in the cautionary statements found in the company's Securities and Exchange Commission filings. The company disclaims any intent or obligation to update these forward-looking statements.

Key Words: Stem Cells, Biotechnology, Parthenogenesis

International Stem Cell Corporation
Kenneth C. Aldrich, Chairman
760-940-6383
kaldrich@intlstemcell.com
Or
Brian Lundstrom, President
760-640-6383
bl@intlstemcell.com