Geron Receives FDA Clearance to Begin World's First Human Clinical Trial of Embryonic Stem Cell-Based Therapy
Geron Corporation announced recently that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has granted clearance of the company's Investigational New Drug application for the clinical trial of GRNOPC1 in patients with acute spinal cord injury.

VIDEO: Lead Researcher Hans Keirstead Reacts to FDA Approval

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VIDEO: Embryonic Stem Cell-Derived Endothelial Cells for Treatment of Hindlimb Ischemia
The surgical procedure for delivery of embryonic stem cell-derived endothelial cells to the ischemic hindlimb is demonstrated, with non-invasive tracking by bioluminescence imaging.

Large DNA Stretches, Not Single Genes, Shut Off as Cells Mature
Experiments at Johns Hopkins have found that the gradual maturing of embryonic cells into cells as varied as brain, liver and immune system cells is apparently due to the shut off of several genes at once rather than in individual smatterings as previous studies have implied.

Proteomic Characterization of the Conditioned Media Produced by the Visceral Endoderm-like Cell Lines HepG2 and End2: Towards a Defined Medium for the Osteogenic/Chondrogenic Differentiation of Embryonic Stem Cells
This study utilized the conditioned media from the visceral endoderm-like cell lines, HepG2 and END2, to enhance lineage-specific differentiation of murine ESCs towards the osteogenic lineage.

Nuclear Transfer Embryonic Stem Cells Provide an In Vitro Culture Model for Parkinson's Disease
The researchers for this study performed a "proof-of-principle" study using tail tip fibroblasts from a mouse model of Parkinson's disease (Aphakia) as the donor cell nuclei for nuclear transfer and derived "customized" ESCs for in vitro analysis.

Human Embryos Derived by Somatic Cell Nuclear Transfer Using an Alternative Enucleation Approach
This study performed somatic cell nuclear transfer to generate patient-specific embryonic stem cells from blastocysts cloned by nuclear transfer.

Stem Cell Innovations, Inc., Files New Patent Application
Stem Cell Innovations, Inc. announced recently that it has filed a new patent application for the production of pluripotent stem cells from primordial germ cells.

Geron Announces John Walker Resigns as Director
Geron Corporation recently announced that John P. Walker has resigned from the Board of Directors. Mr. Walker served as a Director of the company since 1997 and was Chair of the Audit Committee.

The Automation Partnership Launches Automated Stem Cell Picker at Stem Cells World Congress
The Automation Partnership recently announced CellCelector, the first commercial automated stem cell picker.

Obama Lifts Ban on Abortion Funds
President Obama signed an executive order Friday striking down a rule that prohibits U.S. money from funding international family-planning clinics that promote abortion or provide counseling or referrals about abortion services.

Lifting Stem Cell Funding Restrictions by Executive Order is Inadequate According to the Genetics Policy Institute
Lifting the funding restrictions by presidential executive order is an inadequate remedy to fully realize the potential of embryonic stem cell research targeting cures.