Patrick Cox’s Breakthrough Technology Alert: International Stem Cell Corp. Progressing Despite Incompetent MSM

By Dr. Matthew Watson

October 11, 2011

International Stem Cell Corp. Progressing Despite Incompetent MSM

Dear Breakthrough Technology Alert Reader,

"American journalism (like the journalism of any other country) is predominantly paltry and worthless. Its pretensions are enormous, but its achievements are insignificant."

-- H.L. Mencken

Last week, an article by Rob Stein appeared in The Washington Post titled "Scientists Report Possibly Crucial Advance in Human Embryonic Stem Cell Research." Stein, whose credentials include science editor positions at NPR and The Washington Post, describes the use of cloning techniques to turn oocytes, immature eggs, into embryonic cells. The first one-sentence paragraph is as follows:

"Scientists reported Wednesday that for the first time, they had used cloning techniques to generate embryonic stem cells containing the genes of specific patients."

Frankly, I don't know what that sentence means. Somatic cloning of stem cells has been going on for years at places such as the Harvard Stem Cell Institute and the University of California San Francisco. It's not a particularly difficult thing to transfer adult DNA into an embryonic stem cell. Maybe the researchers said that it was the first time that "they" had used cloning techniques to make ESCs and the writer misinterpreted their statements. I have no idea.

Moreover, that sentence includes the word "patients." There were no patients involved in the study. It was a laboratory demonstration of a cloning technique in which DNA from mature cells is transferred into immature eggs, oocytes. Then, the oocytes transformed into stem cells with the implanted genes. The interesting thing about the procedure, which you can access here, is that the DNA from a normal cell, from two parents, was added to a cell with only a mother's genes.

This resulted in a cell with the DNA of three people -- a triploid cell. While fascinating, it also raises all kinds of scientific and safety issues. We have no idea what triploid cells would actually do if they were implanted in a patient. With extra haploid matching points, they might even be immunocompatible with no one.

I do, however, have a great script idea if somebody with money would like to hear the pitch. I'm thinking Species meets Mommie Dearest. Regardless, the possibility that triploid cells will be therapeutically useful in the foreseeable future is very low.

This brings me to the real flaw in the story. Read the second sentence/paragraph:

"The step marks a possibly pivotal advance toward the long-sought goal of creating stem cells that could be used to treat many major diseases, because they would not be rejected by patients' immune systems."

Balderdash. There are at least two solutions already available for dealing with immune rejection -- induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) and human parthenogenic stem cells (hpSCs).

The iPS cell technology uses an individual's own cells to create cells that are functionally equivalent to embryonic stem cells. These would be compatible with the donor. The other solution is the human parthenogenic stem cells developed by International Stem Cell Corp. (OTCBB:ISCO). These, scientists believe, will solve the immune rejection problem on a mass-market basis.

ISCO long ago demonstrated that they have made the "pivotal advance" using oocytes, to which the Post article refers. ISCO scientists discovered and patented the techniques that successfully create human parthenogenic stem cells (hpSCs), which can be programmed to become any other cell type. With ISCO's cell banks, which will match the various HLA profiles of the human species, the immune rejection problem will be solved for the vast majority of the human race.

You will recall from my recent issue about ISCO that the company has already begun collecting oocytes to create these parthenogenic cells lines. It does so with complete approval of regulatory and ethical agencies.

As you know, it took ISCO many years and millions of dollars to accomplish their technological breakthrough. Interestingly, it had previously been done, apparently in an accidental and nonreproducible manner. Stem cell scientist Woo Suk Hwang of Seoul University announced in 2004 that he had produced a stem cell line derived from an embryonic human clone. Later, it was discovered that Hwang did not have a cloned stem cell line. He had a parthenogenic stem cell line.

Though Hwang was disgraced, the irony is that cloned stem cell lines are far easier to produce than hpSC lines. I don't understand all the details about what he did, wrong or right. The irony is this, however: If he had presented his stem cells as hpSCs, he might have been acclaimed a scientific hero, instead of the super-villain he is considered today.

The Washington Post article goes on to cite the usual stem cell controversies. Those opposed to ESC research have voiced opposition to the triploid stem cell technology when asked. They believe the triploid cells are embryonic stem cells. Since they are, in a sense, fertilized, that may be true. It's not at all clear, though, that they could develop into an embryo. I doubt it.

Also, the fact that some fertility therapy patients were paid well for oocytes unneeded in the fertilization process has caused serious concern among feminist commentators. They are seriously concerned. Seriously.

The big point, however, is that this article badly misrepresents the state of the science. ISCO scientists have long had the ability to create pluripotent stem cells using oocytes. More to the point, cells made using their process have none of the ethical issues of these triploid cells. They are not fertilized and cannot become embryos. They require no genetic manipulation. No foreign DNA is inserted into them. The company does not pay for oocytes and has followed every ethical guideline acquiring them.

The Wall Street Journal apparently picked up on the "breakthrough" story and helped spread the disinformation, as did other news outlets and bloggers. I'm not, per se, a journalist, but if I were writing for a nationally read publication that purports to present science accurately, I would have started by checking around to see if there were other perspectives on stem cells from parthenogenic oocytes.

In fact, I did a simple Google search using key words "parthenogenic" (or "parthenogenetic"), "stem" and "cell." The first page yielded this link to ISCO's description of their human technology.

Then, looking around the site, we find a list of respected scientific partners who are assisting in further research on ISCO's hpSCs, as well as some of their research areas.

They include:

Novocell Inc., San Diego, Calif., endocrine pancreas cells.

University of California, San Francisco, Calif., hepatocyte cells.

University of California, Irvine, Calif., retinal pigment epithelium.

University of Wurzburg, Germany, neuronal cells.

The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, Calif., characterization of human parthenogenetic stem cells.

None of these organizations is inaccessible. You can find their phone numbers on the innerwebz, and it has been my experience that scientists are more than happy to tell journalists what's really going on. Oh, well.

Having spent so much time in debunking mode, now I feel like I ought to at least bring you up-to-date on some new developments at ISCO. Several important events have, in fact, occurred lately.

ISCO to Expand Cosmeceutical Product Lines

One, ISCO has been perfecting the process of growing and preserving the active ingredient in parthenogenic stem cells used for their cosmeceutical skin care product line. As a result, they've been able to stockpile enough of the growth factors found in stem cells to allow additional marketing efforts. In the past, availability of product has limited those efforts.

Moreover, the company has announced development of several new skin care products, including one designed to work on the sunken area under the eyes. The skin care line, while not cosmically meaningful, is doing very well for the company and is on track to fund serious work, such as ISCO's liver cell science.

Also, ISCO has brought in an experienced corporate executive to help move the company forward. Dr. Andrey Semechkin, currently CEO, will become co-chairman. Kurt May, currently senior vice president, will take the helm as president and CEO.

From the press release:

"Prior to joining ISCO, Mr. May was a senior executive with GTE Corp. and with PriceSmart Inc., and the founder and CEO of a privately owned biotech company, Psynomics, based on medical technology derived from the University of California, San Diego. Mr. May served as a faculty member and assistant dean of UCSD's Rady School of Management from 2005-09.

"During his tenure as PriceSmart's chief operating officer, Mr. May led the company from startup to growth over three years that included establishing 22 stores in 11 countries, reaching annual revenues of more than $500 million, achieving profitability and expanding staff from 356 to more than 4,200.

"'In addition to its therapeutic programs, ISCO is dedicated to building its revenue-generating subsidiaries to high levels of profitability. We view Mr. May's commercial and entrepreneurial skills as an essential part of our business plan for success,' said Kenneth Aldrich, co-founder and co-chairman of ISCO."

Yours for transformational profits,

Patrick Cox

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Wurzburg, Germany, neuronal cells.

The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, Calif., characterization of human parthenogenetic stem cells.

Having spent so much time in debunking mode, now I feel like I ought to at least bring you up-to-date on some new developments at ISCO. Several important events have, in fact, occurred lately.

ISCO to Expand Cosmeceutical Product Lines

From the press release:

Yours for transformational profits,

Patrick Cox

Please note: We sent this e-mail to: PATRICK COX because you subscribed to this service.

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