VentureBeat � Is Big Pharma tiptoeing into embryonic stem cells?: "By David Hamilton 04.6.07
Encapsulated islet cellsFor what appears to be the first time, a major drug company has plunked down a significant equity investment in embryonic stem cells.
Earlier today, VentureWire reported (sub required) that Novocell, an early-stage San Diego biotech that aims to treat diabetes with the embryonic cells, is hoping to raise $35 million in a third round of funding. The interesting thing, however, isn’t so much the money as the identity of the lead investor: Johnson & Johnson Development Corp., the venture arm of pharmaceutical giant J&J."
