Released on: March 19, 2008, 4:38 pm

Press Release Author: GTCbio

Industry: Biotech

Press Release Summary: Samuel Wood, CEO at Stemagen, to give the Featured
Presentation at GTCbio's 4th International Stem Cell Research & Therapeutics, Apr
17-18, 2008 in Boston, MA

Press Release Body: Samuel H. Wood, CEO at Stemagen, which announced on January 17,
2008 that it has become the first in the world to create, and meticulously document,
a cloned human embryo using somatic cell nuclear transfer (SCNT), will give a
featured presentation at the 4th International Stem Cell Research & Therapeutics,
Apr 17-18, 2008 in Boston, MA.

Dr. Wood will discuss the scientific, ethical, and legal challenges of human nuclear
transfer stem cells. For more than a decade, attempts have been made to develop
embryonic stem cell (ESC) lines following SCNT into human oocytes. But success has
been elusive for a variety of scientific and practical reasons. Although Stemagen's
recent report of the first successful cloning of adult human fibroblast cells to the
blastocyst stage represents an important milestone on the path to developing nuclear
transfer stem cells (NTSC), significant obstacles remain. Chief among these
impediments is a persistent paucity of high-quality human oocytes. Oocyte donation
models described in currently promulgated ethical guidelines have not provided a
practicable approach for the procurement of a significant number of oocytes for stem
cell research. Stemagen's research into the attitudes of young women towards egg
donation for stem cell research indicates that recruiting donors will be
extraordinarily difficult unless changes are made to these models. In approaching
the scientific challenges of NTSC, events associated with the chromatin remodeling
and epigenetic reprogramming of the somatic cell donor DNA following transfer are
the most critical in optimizing the reinitiation of embryonic developmental
pathways. The many available studies on mammalian cloning may provide additional
important insights. The cloning of five blastocysts from 21 oocytes subjected to
SCNT using fibroblasts obtained from two adult male skin donors, utilizing methods
modified for human cells, is described, and the current status of human NTSC, as
well as strategies to overcome the challenges that impede the achievement of its
full potential in the field of regenerative medicine are explored.

The conference also features presentations from other leading organizations such as
FDA, Genzyme, Geron, Joint Committee on Health Care Financing (by Senator Richard
Moore), Merck, MIT, Novartis, Pfizer, Sangamo BioSciences, Sanofi Aventis, UCSB,
University of Van Amsterdam, Whitehead Institute, and many more. The full agenda is
available online at http://gtcbio.com/userAgenda.aspx?id=120.

GTCbio's 4th Stem Cell Research & Therapeutics will take place on April 17-18, 2008
in Boston, MA and will cover Stem Cell Biology, Adult Stem Cells, Embryonic Stem
Cells, Differentiation of Stem Cells, Epigenomics & Reprogramming of Stem Cells,
Regenerative Medicine & Therapeutics, Stem Cell Imaging, Regulatory Aspects &
Funding Opportunities, Cancer Stem Cells, and Stem Cell Applications in Drug
Discovery.

For more information including a detailed agenda, exhibitor opportunities and
registration information visit www.gtcbio.com.
ABOUT GTCbio
GTCbio organizes conferences specifically for the biomedical and biopharmaceutical
industries. Our goal is to facilitate the exchange of biopharmaceutical and
biomedical intelligence between industry leaders, academic and government
organizations, and the financial community.
GTCbio is a subsidiary of Global Technology Community, LLC, a privately held company
founded in 2002.


Web Site: http://www.gtcbio.com

Contact Details: Contact: GTCBIO $34 W. Foothill Blvd., Monrovia, CA. 91016 (626)
256-6405, (626) 256-6460 fax, nina.tran@gtcbio.com