TOKYO -- Stem cells have enormous promise in regenerative medicine, with the potential to treat a range of injuries and diseases, from Parkinson's and cancer to infertility and baldness. The main roadblock, however, has been ethical concerns regarding the use of human embryonic tissue. But now, new technologies are starting to come onto the market that sidestep those issues, opening the door to innovative therapies, as well as identify new drugs by screening using stem cells.
International Stem Cell Corp. (ISCO) will soon start a phase I clinical trial in Australia using the company's ISC-hpNSC, human parthenogenetic stem cell-derived neural stem cells, for the treatment of Parkinson's disease, the second most common neurodegenerative disease.
