What to Make of Geron's Being Put On Hold
Geron announced last week that their IND for an embryonic stem cell product for spinal cord injury has been put on hold. They did not say why, but simply stated that they did not yet have definitive written reasons from the FDA.“Facts do not cease to exist because they are ignored” Aldous Huxley
There has been a recent spate of blustery and inaccurate press releases by Stem Cells Inc. lately about various patent issues. None of what has transpired effects in any way our own Patents and technology, although STEM would like people to think that it does. I have received many calls and emails with many questions about what is (and is not) going on here, and so I would like to use this forum to point out some simple facts, facts which the STEM releases intentionally ignore.
Read all of “Facts do not cease to exist because they are ignored” Aldous Huxley
What does the CJ deal mean?
So what DOES it mean? I have been asked this question many times and in many different ways since Neuralstem announced a $2.5 million strategic investment by CJ Corp. of Korea. I will refer you to the press release for details, but basically CJ bought $2.5 million of our stock at $4.06/share, roughly a 33% premium to what the shares were trading for. In return, they have an exclusive option, to be the exclusive licensee of our products for the far east. The terms of the eventual license itself, (up front payments, milestone payments and royalties) will be negotiated after we have finished the first successful trial.
Welcome to 2008 - The Future
“It is a mistake Watson to theorize in advance of the facts.”
Sherlock Holmes
Welcome to 2008;
It has been said that predicting things is very tough, especially the future. It is inherently foolish, and most likely counter productive (see Doyle above) to do so, and yet also, utterly impossible to resist. Our brains are wired as it were, to see patterns and make judgments. It is our evolutionary advantage. And so, in the spirit of the season, and within the strict limits of our own sphere, (and with all the usual and customary warning language and disclaimers), here is what I see:
...but there are dreams that cannot be...
“…but there are dreams that can not be
and there are storms we can not weather..”
It is upon hearing that sobering verse the we first realize Les Miserable is a different kind of musical, and that there will be no happy ending for this heroine. She is beautiful and young, and singing about dreams when the song starts. Then with this one verse, the tone changes. It’s not what we want to hear, not what we expect to hear (though so typically French). Then we watch as she descends from selling her jewelry, to her hair, to her body under the crushing weight of the “real” world. A world for her, without hope.
Calendar Lite
“The dog days of August” is a term that has accurately described the last two weeks of August in the Washington area for as long as I can remember (and I have lived here all of my life). The temperature is always in the 90’s with the humidity not far behind. The local baseball team is always mired in last place, the Congress is on recess, the President (whoever it is) has gone for the month, and no matter what business you are in, it seemed as though the world is on vacation and nothing can get “done”. Yet this year things seem noticeably different.
“The lady doth protest too much, methinks” (Hamlet Act 1, Scene 2)
On June 28th, (they who must not be named) put out a press release of the most remarkable nature and content in response to the U.S. Patent Office ruling that all of the patents Neuralstem was accused of infringing were no good, and the subsequent stay and administrative close of their infringement case against Neuralstem. They who must not be named of course have the option to go and argue with the USPTO, which presumably they will do.Read all of “The lady doth protest too much, methinks” (Hamlet Act 1, Scene 2)
The blog is back
First, apologies for the silence (for those who care), but a year ago Neuralstem was sued by Stem Cells Inc. and as the suit progressed our attorneys became increasingly uncomfortable with the possible ramifications of any public statements I might make in these blogs. Hence the darkness descended. But (for a time at least) the forces of good have prevailed, and the law suit has been “stayed” indefinitely.
So what does it all mean?
The Democrats have taken back control of Congress with a razor thin margin in the Senate, and a small but workable majority in the House. However one reads the election tea leaves, stem cells were certainly a “winning” issue for the Democrats. So what does this portend going forward?
Stem Cells and Politics:
The politics of the Stem Cell debate in America have undergone a radical change leading up to this election. It wasn’t long ago that the debate seemed to be about whether or not the entire industry would be criminalized and whether or not such research could even be conducted here in the U.S.
