International Stem Cell enters into second phase of research deal with Rohto Pharmaceutical

After successfully completing preliminary studies of ISCO’s human parthenogenetic neural stem cells (hpNSCs) Rohto acknowledged that ISCO’s proprietary cells demonstrate consistent high quality and are suitable for further use in Rohto’s research.

If Rohto successfully demonstrates hpNSCs’ efficacy in rodent models, which could lead to a possible treatment of a variety of degenerative eye disorders, Rohto will enter into negotiations of a definitive license agreement with ISCO in order to license ISCO’s proprietary technology for therapeutic and commercial use.

ISCO chief scientific officer Ruslan Semechkin said: "Based on hpNSCs known performance in various animal models we expect that in the next four months Rohto will be able to demonstrate the efficacy of these stem cells in treating retinal degenerative disorders.