International Stem Cell Corp Starts Series of Preclinical Animal Studies of Neuronal Cells Derived From Human Parthenogenetic Stem Cells

International Stem Cell Corp announced that the initiation of a series of preclinical animal studies of neuronal cells derived from ISCO’s proprietary pluripotent stem cells. The studies will evaluate the in vivo safety and tumorigenicity of neuronal cells derived from ISCO's proprietary human parthenogenetic stem cells (hpSC), as well as their ability to develop into functioning dopaminergic neuron–like cells, a key milestone towards creating a cell-based therapy for Parkinson's Disease (PD). ISCO uses unfertilized oocytes to create human parthenogenetic stem cells, an approach that offers a number of distinct advantages over other types of human stem cells. Like human embryonic stem cells (hESCs), hpSCs are pluripotent, and thus have the capacity to become almost any cell type in the body. However, unlike hESCs, hpSCs can be created in a form such that cells from a single donor can be immunologically matched to millions of individuals.