By Kwame Mensah --
Geron Corporation recently announced that it had been granted U.S. Patent No. 7,326,572, entitled "Endoderm cells from human embryonic stem cells." The '572 patent covers a method for producing endoderm cells from human embryonic stem cells (hESCs). The production of endoderm cells is a critical step in generating pancreatic islet cells from hESCs. Geron is developing ways to use this method in the treatment of diabetes.
Geron's senior vice president of business development and chief patent counsel, Dr. David J. Earp, believes that the '572 patent broadens the coverage for Geron's islet cell production protocol beyond the scope of U.S. Patent No. 7,033,831, which was issued to Geron in 2006. Earp states that "[a]dded to our already robust portfolio of IP covering the scalable production of pluripotent stem cells, these patents reinforce our proprietary position for diabetes cell therapy."
Geron's president and chief executive officer, Dr. Thomas B. Okarma, commented on the utility of the method covered by the patent stating that it "has been validated in a number of studies published in leading journals by scientists from both Geron and other organizations." Okarma also states that transplanted pancreatic islet cells of the method prolong the survival of severely diabetic animals as well as produce detectable human insulin in their bloodstream. Geron is continuing to develop plans "aimed at producing a cell therapy capable of restoring normal glucose regulation in patients suffering from diabetes."
Geron's portfolio of owned and in-licensed patents includes over 30 patents issued in the U.S., more than 65 issued in other countries, and over 130 applications pending worldwide that relate to pluripotent stem cells. Geron also holds the exclusive right to develop and commercialize hESC-derived pancreatic islet cells, cardiomyocytes, and neural cells for therapeutic applications under the fundamental hESC patents assigned to the Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation (WARF).
The '572 patent is a divisional of U.S. Patent Application No. 10/313,739, filed Dec. 6, 2002, now U.S. Patent No. 7,033,831, which claims priority to U.S. Provisional Application No. 60/338,885, filed Dec. 7, 2001. Representative claims 1 and 3 of the '572 patent recite:
1. A method for generating endoderm cells from human embryonic stem (hES) cells or human embryonic germ (hEG) cells, comprising culturing the hES cells or hEG cells in a medium comprising a sufficient amount of Activin A to cause differentiation of said cells into endoderm, thereby generating endoderm cells, wherein the endoderm cells express the markers Sox 17, HNF313 and HNF4a.
3. The method of claim 1, wherein the cells are human embryonic stem cells.
For additional information regarding this or other related topics, please see:
• "stART Licensing Announces Issuance of Patents for Cloning Ungulates," January 3, 2008
• "It's Time to Stop the Hypocrisy over Stem Cell Patents - Part III," July 4, 2007
• "It's Time to Stop the Hypocrisy over Stem Cell Patents - Part II," April 26, 2007
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