In a patent application that Anthrogenesis filed on June 22, 2004, materials and methods are detailed at length for the extraction, recovery, isolation, propagation, collection and utilization of “embryonic-like stem cells, including but not limited to pluripotent or multipotent stem cells from an exsanguinated human placenta”. Further described within the application is “an isolated human placental stem cell” with the ability to differentiate into cells of neural, osteogenic, and chondrogenic phenotypes, among others.
Although it is certainly not the first and will probably not be the last, this is the most recent patent to be awarded to Anthrogenesis Corporation for its placental stem cell technology.
Anthrogenesis was acquired by Celgene in 2003, and operates as a wholly owned subsidiary of Celgene. Founded in 1986, Celgene has grown to a multinational biopharmaceutical company that employs approximately 1,600 people around the world.
Located in New Jersey, Anthrogenesis Corporation is a recognized leader in pioneering the technological means and methods for the derivation and commercialization of large quantities of adult stem cells that are found in human placental tissue. According to John Jackson, chairman and CEO of Celgene, “Placental stem cells have the potential to transform the way physicians treat serious diseases and the way novel therapies are developed.”
Apparently, however, the news of this latest patent has not yet reached Wall Street, as Celgene’s stock closed at $53.48 today, down 24 cents from its close yesterday.