Stem Cell Stocks Gain On British Study, Geron Gives Some Back

by H.S. Ayoub
BioHealth Investor



Scientists in Britain announced that a new heart-like muscle mass, complete with blood vessels and various types of cells, was grown from stem cells harvested from bone marrow.

The lead researcher of the study, Sir Magdi Yacoub, a renowned cardiologist, predicted that a fully functional whole human heart could be developed from stem cells within 10 years.

The news may have sent ripples across the pond as stem cell stocks in the U.S. jumped during trading on Monday.

Geron (GERN), StemCells (STEM), and Aastrom (ASTM) gained over 6%, 18% and 13% respectively at end of the trading day.

However, Geron lost much of those gains in after-hours trading following a statement from the company backing the Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation (WARF), as the US Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) announced that key patents covering the pioneering work of Dr. James Thomson will be re-examined.

Dr.Thomson was the lead scientist behind the first successful isolation of primate and human embryonic stem cells, whose patents are held by WARF and licensed to Geron exclusively.

While a long shot, any negative outcome of the USPTO examination could be a horrendous blow to Geron's future. Geron holds some of the world's most important patents relating to stem cell snd nuclear transfer research.


Source: BioHealthInvestor.com



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