International Stem Cell (OTCBB:ISCO), www.internationalstemcell.com,
announced today it has entered into an exclusive distribution agreement
with Germany-based CellSystems Biotechnologie Vertrieb GmbH,
"CellSystems," to distribute its "Lifeline"
brand of living human cell and cell culture research products throughout
Europe.
International Stem Cell Corporation, "ISCO," is a California company
that has developed, for the first time under controlled conditions,
human stem cell lines that promise to eliminate the rejection of
transplanted cells by the patient's immune
system. ISCO's technology, Parthenogenesis,
results in the creation of pluripotent human stem cell lines (called
phESC) from unfertilized human eggs without the transfer of foreign DNA.
This new methodology offers the potential to create the first true "Stem
Cell Bank" and also addresses critical ethical
issues by eliminating the need to use fertilized embryos. ISCO also
produces and sells specialized cells and growth media worldwide for
therapeutic research.
ISCO's human cell and cell culture research
products are manufactured under the "Lifeline"
brand by wholly-owned subsidiary Lifeline Cell Technology, LLC, based in
Walkersville, Maryland (www.lifelinecelltech.com).
"CellSystems is a highly respected name in
the European life sciences community, with a well established
distribution channel that will provide ISCO with immediate sales and
marketing capabilities for human primary cell products, including media
and the Lifeline brand of stem cell products to the European scientific
community," said Jeff Krstich, CEO of ISCO.
"This agreement marks the accomplishment of
yet another important milestone in ISCO's
strategic plan to become the primary provider and manufacturer of high
quality human cells, including stem cells, to the research and
therapeutic markets," he continued.
"We have worked with the Lifeline staff and
know their abilities to consistently produce high quality products, a
critical factor for researchers that depend on human cells for the
success of their research," said Horst W
Fuchs, president of CellSystems Biotechnologie. "This agreement between
our companies opens a distribution channel for ISCO's
Lifeline branded products to scientific researchers throughout Europe." "We are very pleased with our growing
relationship with CellSystems. Their experience and knowledge in the
sales and distribution of human cells and reagents is extensive, as are
their relationships with customers throughout Europe,"
said Jeffrey Janus, president of ISCO.
"While the sale of these Lifeline stem cell
and research products provides ISCO immediate cash flow, it also helps
embed ISCO's products into successful
therapeutic procedures worldwide, potentially enhancing a revenue stream
of shared royalties beyond traditional sales,"
added Krstich.
ABOUT CELLSYSTEMS:
CellSystems®, founded in Germany in 1992 as a
sales and marketing organization, is one of the main providers of
selected high quality and innovative cell culture products to the life
sciences community. For more than 15 years, CellSystems®
has provided the Life Science community with the most sophisticated cell
biology products available. Their core competency in Human Primary Cells
and adult Stem Cells has resulted in the development of three
dimensional skin cell models which are used as alternative methods to
animal testing in the field of Skin Corrosion, Skin Irritation, Skin
Sensitization, Genotoxicity and Phototoxicity. CellSystems also provides
cell models for Angionenesis, Blood-Brain-Barrier and Inhalation
Toxicology. Visit the CellSystems web site at: www.cellsystems.biz.
ABOUT INTERNATIONAL STEM CELL CORPORATION:
International Stem Cell is a biotechnology company currently focused on
developing therapeutic and research products. In the area of therapeutic
product development, ISCO's objective is to create an unlimited source
of human cells for use in the treatment of several diseases, including
diabetes, liver disease and retinal disease through cell transplant
therapy. In furtherance of this objective, ISCO has developed
pluripotent human stem cells from unfertilized human eggs, and
techniques to cause those stem cells to be "differentiated" into the
specific cell types required for transplant. It has developed
manufacturing protocols to produce the cells minimizing contamination
with animal by-products, a characteristic likely to be important in
meeting U.S. Food and Drug Administration requirements. ISCO also
provides the specialized cells and growth media needed for therapeutic
cell transplantation research to academic and commercial researchers in
related fields. For more information, visit the ISCO website at: www.internationalstemcell.com.
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