Millipore Announces Collaboration with Abeome Corporation

Millipore Corporation announced its collaboration with Abeome Corporation on the development and distribution of a stem cell antibody. The antibody, Human Embryonic Stem Cell Antigen-1 (HESCA-1), is a previously unidentified marker for the analysis of pluripotent stem cells in immunocytochemistry and other immunological techniques.

This antibody was developed by Abeome in conjunction with Novocell, Inc., and Millipore will market and distribute HESCA-1 to the research community. HESCA-1 targets a cell surface protein that is potentially a unique antigen expressed by human embryonic stem cells.

The antigen is present in five hES cell lines, but does not appear to be expressed on differentiated or feeder cell types. With further research, HESCA-1 may prove useful in the development of therapies for human cancers and other debilitating diseases.

“HESCA-1 highlights Millipore’s commitment to providing innovative tools for the advancement of human embryonic stem cell research,” states Donald O’Neil, director of marketing for stem cells and cell biology at Millipore. “This demonstrates yet another example of our strategy to provide the most complete integrated stem cell offering, cutting across the entire stem cell workflow.”