WIKIMEDIA COMMONS, NISSIM BENVENISTY
The world’s first clinical trial testing a human embryonic stem cell (hESC) therapy is closing to further enrollment after a long, rocky ride, according to the Geron Corporation. The company, which started the trial two years ago, announced the trial’s shuttering Monday (November 14), along with its decision to withdraw from the stem cell sector altogether—not for lack of promise, but simply a strategic move to stay afloat during hard economic times.
“It’s certainly going to have a very chilling effect,” said Robert Lanza, chief scientific officer at Advanced Cell Technology, the only other company currently engaged in clinical trials involving hESCs. “There’s a lot of exciting potential here in this field, and it would just be a real shame for this not to move ...
