International Stem Cell Corp.
International Stem Cell Corporation (OTC: ISCO) is a clinical-stage biosciences company focused on the research, development, and commercialization of therapeutic products derived from its proprietary parthenogenetic stem cell (hpSC) technology platform — a unique approach to generating pluripotent human stem cells from unfertilized human eggs through a process called parthenogenesis, which activates egg development without fertilization. According to its website at intlstemcell.com, the company's parthenogenetic stem cell technology provides a potential ethical alternative to conventional embryonic stem cells derived from fertilized embryos, as the parthenogenetically activated eggs used in ISCO's technology cannot develop into viable human embryos. ISCO's hpSC platform enables the derivation of pluripotent stem cells that can potentially be differentiated into a wide range of specific cell types for therapeutic applications in regenerative medicine.
International Stem Cell's lead clinical program, described at intlstemcell.com, involves neural stem cells derived from its parthenogenetic stem cell technology for the treatment of Parkinson's disease — a debilitating neurodegenerative condition affecting millions of patients worldwide for which there is no disease-modifying treatment. The company has advanced its Parkinson's disease stem cell therapy through Phase 1 clinical trials in Australia, evaluating the safety and preliminary efficacy of transplanting hpSC-derived neural stem cells into the brains of Parkinson's disease patients. The Phase 1 trial results demonstrated a favorable safety profile and encouraging preliminary clinical signals that have supported advancement of the program. ISCO's broader stem cell platform has potential applications in multiple neurodegenerative diseases and other conditions where replacement of damaged cells through stem cell-derived cellular therapies could restore function.
International Stem Cell Corporation also operates LifeMap Sciences, a bioinformatics subsidiary that develops and commercializes databases of stem cell research data and related computational tools for the life science research community. According to intlstemcell.com, LifeMap Sciences generates subscription revenue from the scientific research community that uses its databases for stem cell and developmental biology research, providing ISCO with a commercial revenue stream that partially offsets the costs of its therapeutic program development activities. ISCO's combination of proprietary parthenogenetic stem cell technology, Parkinson's disease clinical program, parthenogenesis ethical differentiation, and bioinformatics subsidiary reflects its position as a distinctive and innovative participant in the stem cell therapeutics field with multiple value creation pathways from its core technology platform.