StemCells Inc. (Nasdaq: STEM) focuses on the discovery, development and commercialization of cell-based therapeutics to treat diseases afflicting the central nervous system (CNS) and liver. Stem-cell research has become more widely accepted as the public becomes more educated on research methods and purposes. StemCells Inc.’s programs target damaged or lost CNS and liver tissue as a result of disease or injury. Stem-cell research opens the door to a plethora of discoveries regarding the human body’s regenerative abilities, and how to better treat disease.

StemCells Inc. today announced that the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office awarded the company patent number 7,381,561 for the use of additional monoclonal antibodies to assist in the isolation of rare cells from the human neural tissue. The company’s HuCNS-SC product candidate centers around monoclonal antibodies, which, when combined with cell biology, have been an integral part of the company’s success.

“A major challenge in the field of cellular therapeutics is to consistently deliver a pure and safe population of the cells of interest,” Ann Tsukamoto, Ph.D., CEO of StemCells Inc. stated in the press release. “We have generated an extensive library of proprietary monoclonal antibodies and have leveraged our expertise in cell biology and monoclonal antibodies to help us meet this challenge.”

The company said the inventors on the patent are all company scientists; a team that has proven its experience and knowledge through the hard work put into research and development. StemCell Inc. holds exclusive rights or ownership to more than 50 U.S. patents and more than 150 non-U.S. patents.

“They are part of a scientific team that has an unparalleled record of finding extremely rare human cells. I would like to take this opportunity to recognize the valuable contributions made by all our scientists towards the achievement of our mission,” stated Martin McGlynn, the company’s president and CEO. “Through their ingenuity and hard work, we have built a powerful discovery platform. Collectively, they have been responsible for the isolation and purification of the human hematopoietic stem cell and our proprietary cells, the HuCNS-SC human neural stem cell, the hLEC liver engrafting cell population, and a candidate human pancreatic stem cell.”

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