Genea stem cells approved in UK

The UK Stem Cell Bank (UKSCB) has approved 84 human embryonic stem cell (hESC) lines from Genea Biocells for research in the UK. This makes the stem cell company the largest single contributor to human embryonic stem cell lines approved for use by the UKSCB Steering Committee, as well as the first Australian company to do so.

The hESC lines are derived from embryos voluntarily donated by patients who have undergone in vitro fertilisation - often in conjunction with preimplantation genetic diagnosis (PGD) - at Genea’s fertility clinics. They include both unaffected lines and those affected by a range of genetic diseases, including:

• neurodegenerative conditions such as Huntington’s disease, tuberous sclerosis and infantile neuroaxonal dystrophy;
• neuromuscular disorders such as Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease, Becker muscular dystrophy, myotonic dystrophy and FSHD;
• chromosomal abnormalities such as Turner Syndrome (X Monosomy) and Trisomy 5, 8, 21 and 22.

According to Genea Biocells General Manager Uli Schmidt, the cell lines will “give UK and European scientists vital and adaptable platforms to find treatments, and hopefully cures, for some of the most devastating diseases humans face today”.