http://www.washingtonpost.com/ac2/wp-dyn/A28059-2002Jan10?language=printer
By Paul Elias
AP Biotechnology Writer
Thursday, January 10, 2002; 7:47
PM
SAN FRANCISCO –– Geron Corp. once claimed to have a near-monopoly on the commercial prospects of human embryonic stem cells. Scientists outside the company feared Geron would shut them out of the research.
That's no longer the case.
On Thursday, company chief executive
Thomas Okarma told investors and analysts attending the JP Morgan H&Q
Healthcare Conference that Geron was content to focus its stem cell efforts
in just a few key areas that include developing heart and nerve cells to
treat heart and neurological disorders as well as insulin-producing cells
for diabetes.
"All are large markets," Okarma said.
Work with Parkinson's disease is
the furthest along, Okarma told the conference. Geron is also experimenting
with genetic modification of the stem cells so they won't be rejected by
immune systems, a requirement to mass-produce therapies.
Okarma said Geron soon plans to meet
with Food and Drug Administration officials to discuss experimenting with
stem cells in people, though actual human trials are still years away.
"Embryonic stem cells have extraordinary
biological properties which continue to amaze even us," he said.
Many researchers believe that embryonic
stem cells hold the promise of creating new organs or cells to replace
or renew ailing hearts, livers and other organs. Some earlier laboratory
studies have suggested that embryonic stem cells could be directed to transform
into curative cells for such diseases as Alzheimer's, Parkinson's or diabetes.
Okarma said Geron researchers have
coaxed stem cells to develop into seven specific cells, including neurons,
bone and spinal cord cells.
"This is one of the most significant
inventions of the last decade," said Q. Todd Dickinson, the former director
of the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office and now a private attorney in Washington
D.C.
Until Wednesday, there was a widespread
fear that Geron had control over much of the research.
Geron relinquished its broad commercial
claims on Wednesday when it settled a lawsuit filed by the University of
Wisconsin's patent agency. Human embryonic stem cells were first isolated
and grown at the University of Wisconsin by scientist James Thomson in
1998. Geron financed much of the early research and was granted commercial
rights to the university's patent on stem cells.
Just how extensive those rights are
was hammered out Wednesday with Geron agreeing it had exclusive commercial
rights to develop only the heart, nerve and insulin-producing cells. The
university is free to license development of the remaining human cells,
which there are more than 200, to other companies.
Geron also received non-exclusive
commercial rights to develop bone, blood and cartilage cells. The agreement
also allows academic and government scientists to perform noncommercial
research without paying for patent rights.
"This should assuage the anxiety
of the research communities," Okarma said.
"The new agreement will allow Geron
to succeed in its development program and also enable a large number of
scientists in academia and other companies to invest in the field," said
Carl Gulbrandsen, managing director of the university's patent agency.
Dickinson said while the settlement
"opens up access of stem cells to the world," Geron still retains "significant
commercial opportunities."
Okarma told the conference Thursday
that Geron has 34 patent applications related to stem cells pending in
the United States.
On the Net:
Geron: http://www.geron.com
© 2002 The Associated Press
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