Personalized Stem Cell Lines Available Through Leading Fertility Clinics (8/4/2007)

Human embryonic stem cell colony

StemLifeLine, a Bay Area-based life sciences company, announced today that under its new partnership agreements, three United States fertility clinics, the Fertility Laboratories of Colorado (FLC), the Nevada Center for Reproductive Medicine (NCRM) and the Idaho Center for Reproductive Medicine (ICRM), will now offer individuals who have undergone in vitro fertilization (IVF) the opportunity to use StemLifeLine's service to develop personal stem cell lines from their unused, stored embryos. StemLifeLine is the first company to offer this unique service.

"We formed StemLifeLine in response to requests from IVF patients to apply their remaining stored embryos toward therapeutic applications that could one day help their children and family members," stated Ana Krtolica, Ph.D., cofounder, CEO and chief scientific officer (CSO) of StemLifeLine. "We are pleased that our partner clinics share our vision for the future of healthcare. They are committed to offering new alternatives to patients who have completed their family planning goals."

Each clinic will provide eligible patients, faced with the decision of what to do with their remaining embryos, with information about StemLifeLine's service. Prior to the introduction of StemLifeLine's solutions, patients have had only three options: to donate the embryos to research, to donate the embryos to other couples, or to discard the embryos. StemLifeLine offers IVF patients a fourth option to derive and preserve their own stem cell line for future use as new cell-based therapies become available for the treatment of diseases such as Alzheimer's, Parkinson's or diabetes. The company also offers an option to prospective clients to donate a sample of their stem cell line, free-of-charge, to research or to stem cell banks so that their stem cells may benefit others.

"We're pleased to offer our patients this ground-breaking opportunity to indefinitely retain a personalized genetically matched pool of stem cells, a service that is not available through any other company," said William B. Schoolcraft, M.D., director of Fertility Laboratories of Colorado. "StemLifeLine's service offers our patients an opportunity to continue to use their experience with our lab in a way that is beneficial to their families and loved ones."

The service is offered directly by each fertility clinic unless a client requests personal contact with the company. StemLifeLine and each of its partner clinics have developed joint protocols to streamline the process and optimize each patient's time and resources. Embryos are first transferred to StemLifeLine for derivation and quality assessment. A personal karyotype, or a genetic picture of the stem cell line, and immunophenotyping results that confirm stem cell markers on every cell, are provided to clients, a service unique to StemLifeLine. The stem cell lines are then cryopreserved and stored indefinitely. StemLifeLine is the first company to have received a license from California's Department of Health Services for this capability.

Once this process is complete, clients will have access to their own high quality, genetically-matched stem cells, which they may use when personalized therapies become available. In the event that a stem cell line is not derived, up to 85 percent of StemLifeLine's fee is returned to the client via the fertility clinic.

IVF patients who are interested in this service may visit the company website at www.stemlifeline.com (opens in new window) or contact StemLifeLine directly by phone at (650) 592-STEM or e-mail (info@stemlifeline.com) to make appropriate arrangements to initiate services. For those clients interested in working with one of StemLifeLine's partner fertility clinics, please contact the clinic directly using the contact information below.

Note: This story has been adapted from a news release issued by StemLifeLine

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