What are Plureon Stem Cells?
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| Plureon Stem Cells or "PSCs" are pluripotent human stem cells that can be obtained harmlessly at the birth of a child, from placental tissue which is usually discarded as medical waste. As pluripotent cells, they have the potential to become many other human cell types, including nerve, bone, cardiac muscle, skeletal muscle, liver, and insulin-secreting pancreatic cells. PSCs have been shown to differentiate into cell types of all three germ layers (endoderm, mesoderm, and ectoderm), indicating they are an earlier-stage cell type than mesenchymal stem cells, hematopoietic stem cells, or many of the other cell types present in placenta and umbilical cord blood. |
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Are PSCs the same as human embryonic stem cells?
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PSCs are different from human embryonic stem (hES) cells. While PSCs have many early-stage markers in common with hES cells, some of the hES markers are not present in PSCs. PSCs are not obtained directly from an embryo or fetus, but rather from placental tissue which is usually discarded as medical waste after birth. hES cells form teratomas when implanted into animals; PSCs do not. Still, both cell types are highly proliferative and have high potential to differentiate into other cell types. |
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Can PSCs be obtained from cord blood?
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Plureon's researchers have looked for PSCs in cord blood, adult blood, and bone marrow. The researchers have not found cells from these other sources which are as highly proliferative and pluripotent as PSCs. |
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Are PSCs maternal or fetal?
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PSCs are fetal rather than maternal, meaning that their genetic encoding matches the baby rather than the mother. |
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How are PSCs different from cord blood stem cells?
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The most widely studied cells in umbilical cord blood are hematopoietic stem cells. These cells are "programmed" to become blood cells, and can therefore be used to treat diseases of the blood and immune systems. PSCs are more primitive than hematopoietic cells, meaning they have the potential to be differentiated into a much wider variety of cell types than just blood cells. |
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How are PSCs different from other types of pluripotent stem cells?
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Pluripotent stem cells -- cells which can differentiate into a variety of other cell types -- have been isolated from adult bone marrow and several other sources. However, Plureon's research indicates that PSCs are much more highly proliferative than most other known pluripotent cell types. PSCs undergo population doublings approximately every thirty-six hours. Proliferative ability is an important quality affecting a cell type's therapeutic potential, since a single therapeutic application may require billions of cells. |
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Are PSCs controversial?
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Since PSCs are obtained without harm to an embryo or fetus, they do not give rise to the ethical controversies which surround embryonic stem cells and cloning. For the same reason, research and use of PSCs have not been restricted by laws limiting the funding for research of embryonic stem cells. |
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What diseases can be treated with PSCs?
When will the first therapies using PSCs be available?
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While Plureon does not publicly disclose its target timelines for receiving FDA approval of therapeutic applications, Plureon believes these timelines are very relevant to today's patient populations. |
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Who are Plureon's scientists?
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Plureon advances its technology through research agreements with world-renowned academic scientists and institutions. These relationships are temporarily subject to the confidentiality requirements of the institutions. Plureon plans to announce these relationships in the future as certain milestones are achieved. |
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