FOR RELEASE MAY 11, 2010
Biosciences
Media Contact:
ArunA Biomedical, Inc.
Tracey Worthington Stice
Phone: (706) 542-9191
Email: tworth@arunabiomedical.com
                                              

ArunA Biomedical Announces Induced Pluripotent Stem Cell Advancement using viPS™ Vector Kit

Athens, Georgia — ArunA Biomedical a leader in human stem cell technologies announced today that scientists at the University of Georgia have successfully produced 13 Chimeric pigs from induced pluripotent stem cells generated from the viPS™ Vector Kit.  The scientific breakthrough marks a milestone in stem cell research and represents an important step forward in regenerative medicine and animal agriculture.

University of Georgia professor, Dr. Steven Stice and Assistant Research Scientist, Dr. Franklin West are the researchers behind this breakthrough technology. Stice and West used the viPS™ Vector Kit, co-developed with Thermo Scientific, to reprogram porcine mesenchymal stem cells into induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs).  When injected into preimplantation stage embryos, the porcine iPSCs were capable of producing chimeric offspring.  Rigorous tests to validate their findings showed 8 of 10 fetuses demonstrated genetic relevance to the donor in all tissue types.

“Because pigs offer a more physiologically relevant model in which to study human disease versus mice, I see our technology potentially leading to more rapid advancements in regenerative medicine,” said Dr. Stice. “We will certainly adopt what we’ve learned from this study in our ongoing Type I diabetes collaborative research with Emory University. It’s widely believed that islet cells produced in the pig hold great promise in the treatment of Type I diabetes but the human body’s rejection of foreign tissue is what holds us back.  Through our iPS method researchers can make the genetic modifications necessary to reduce and eventually eliminate tissue rejection,” said Stice.

“The impact on human disease research is but one area of significance this technology holds and the beauty of this technique is that there may be important implications for animal agriculture as well,” says Dr. Franklin West. “One of our next steps will be to investigate how we may be able to translate this into improved animal genetics and effectively produce livestock in developing countries that are potentially disease resistant.  By creating a line of animals that thrive in the world’s poorest areas we may help alleviate poverty and starvation in these devastated nations.” West said.

About ArunA Biomedical
ArunA Biomedical, Inc. is a privately held biotechnology company dedicated to the discovery, manufacturing and commercialization of emerging new technologies in human stem cell research. ArunA is the first company to commercialize products derived from human embryonic stem cells and sees its proprietary adherent monolayer technology as a catalyst leading to the discovery of novel therapeutic compounds, tests for neurotoxicity and breakthroughs in understanding human development and diseases.   

Visit www.arunabiomedical.com and http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20380514 to learn more.