Apologies for cross posting.

For Immediate Release For more information, contact:
Mary Ann Liebert
(914) 834-3100, ext. 622

e-biomed: The Journal of Regenerative Medicine Publishes Results of Human
Somatic Cell Nuclear Transfer


Larchmont, NY – November 25, 2001 – A report on research on
human somatic cell nuclear transfer and parthenogenesis that provides the
first proof that reprogrammed human cells can supply tissue for
transplantation was published today in e-biomed: The Journal of Regenerative
Medicine, a peer-reviewed journal ( Mary Ann Liebert, Inc.). The full text
is available online at www.liebertpub.com/ebi.

The paper, “Somatic Cell Nuclear Transfer in Humans: Pronuclear and
Early Embryonic Development,” is authored by Jose B. Cirelli,
Kerrianne Cunniff, Robert P. Lanza, and Michael D. West of Advanced Cell
Technology, a biotechnology company in Worcester, MA in collaboration with
scientists Ann A. Kiessling and Charlotte Richards of Duncan Holly
Biomedical, Somerville, MA.

Human embryonic stem (ES) cells, and other cells derived from the inner cell
mass of the preimplantation embryo are totipotent, that is, they are capable
of forming any cell or tissue in the human body. While numerous human ES
cell lines are now in existence, they are of little value in human
transplantation, as they would be rejected by a patient as foreign. Human
therapeutic cloning has the potential to solve this problem by providing
cells that are an exact genetic match for the patient.

Advanced Cell Technology (ACT) reports preliminary studies on two means of
manufacturing such cells. The first method is parthenogenesis. In this
technique an egg cell is activated without being fertilized by a sperm cell.
A patient in need of a particular cell or tissue type provides the egg cell,
the activated egg cell forms a preimplantation embryo, and the resulting
stem cells are differentiated into the type of tissue the patient needs. The
paper reports success in activating egg cells in this manner to form
many-celled embryos resembling blastocysts. The paper does not report data
on stem cell isolation.

In a second series of studies, the company performed somatic cell nuclear
transfer (cloning) to form preimplantation embryos. In this instance, human
egg cells were prepared by removing their DNA and adding the DNA from a
human somatic (body) cell. The paper reports that the somatic nuclei showed
evidence of reprogramming to an embryonic state as evidenced by pronuclear
development (a type of nucleus observed only in the fertilized egg) and by
early embryonic development to the six-cell stage. Again, the company did
not report on stem cell isolation.

“This is indeed a milestone in therapeutic cloning,” said Mary
Ann Liebert, publisher of the online journal, e-biomed: The Journal of
Regenerative Medicine. “These preliminary results, which add to the
weight of evidence that human cell reprogramming is possible, are very
significant given the importance of the growing field of regenerative
medicine. They underscore the urgent imperative for federal funding and
acceleration of stem cell research. The implications for lifesaving
therapies for age related disease and conditions such as stroke, cancer,
AIDS, and neurodegenerative disorders such as Parkinson’s and
Alzheimer’s disease hold enormous promise,” she emphasized.

The editor in chief of ebiomed: The Journal of Regenerative Medicine is
William Haseltine, chairman and CEO of Human Genome Sciences (NASDAQ: HGSI).
Dr. Haseltine is the chairman of the 2nd Symposium on Regenerative Medicine,
which will take place December 2-4 at the Renaissance Hotel in Washington,
D.C. (full program at www.bioconferences.com/ebio). Dr. Haseltine is also
the president of the newly formed Society of Regenerative Medicine and Stem
Cell Biology.

Mary Ann Liebert, Inc. Two Madison Avenue, Larchmont, New York 10538, also
publishes Genetic Engineering News (www.genengnews.com) and peer-reviewed
journals including Human Gene Therapy; Tissue Engineering; Cloning and Stem
Cells; and AIDS Research and Human Retroviruses. (www.liebertpub.com).
Journals are available in print and on line.

Information on liebert journals is also available from :
Theo van de Bilt

van de Bilt Sales & Marketing,
Forgandenny, High Wych,
Sawbridgeworth, Herts, CM21 0HX, UK,
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