Creation Of Multiple Types Of White Blood Cells Directly From Embryonic And Adult Stem Cells

From MedicalNewsToday.com

In an advance that could help transform embryonic stem cells into a multipurpose medical tool, scientists at the University of Wisconsin-Madison have transformed these versatile cells into progenitors of white blood cells and into six types of mature white blood and immune cells.

While clinical use is some years away, the new technique could produce cells with enormous potential for studying the development and treatment of disease. The technique works equally well with stem cells grown from an embryo and with adult pluripotent stem cells, which are derived from adult cells that have been converted until they resemble embryonic stem cells.

If the adult cells came from people with certain bone marrow diseases, the new technique could produce blood cells with specific defects. It could also be used to grow specific varieties of immune cells that could target specific infections or tumors.

The likely most immediate benefit is cells that can be used for safety screening of new drugs, says study leader Igor Slukvin, an assistant professor in the university’s Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine.

“Toxicity to the blood-forming system is a key limit on drug development, so these cells could be used for safety testing in any drug development,” says Slukvin, who performs research at the National Primate Research Center in Madison.

Bone marrow stem cells are already used to screen drugs, but the new technique promises to produce large quantities of cells in a dish that can be more exactly tailored to the task at hand, without requiring a constant supply of bone marrow cells from donors.

The development of stem cells into mature, specialized cells is governed by trace amounts of biological signaling molecules, so Slukvin and colleagues Kyung-Dal Choi and Maxim Vodyanik exposed two types of highly versatile stem cells to various compounds.

Eventually they found a recipe that would cause the cells to move through a process of progressive specialization into a variety of adult cells. Slukvin’s study was published in the Journal of Clinical Investigation.

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Composition Of Matter Patent Covering Adipose-Derived Stem And Progenitor Cells Issued

Cytori (NASDAQ: CYTX) announced today that U.S. patent # 7,470,537 (the ‘537 patent) has been issued to the University of California, which covers a population of stem cells, progenitor cells and other replicating cells, which can be obtained from human adipose tissue. The composition of matter patent is licensed to Cytori through its agreement with the University of California.

The ‘537 patent broadens Cytori’s current patent portfolio for adipose-derived cell therapies and strengthens the Company’s ability to freely develop future generation therapeutics. The cells covered by the issued claims are believed to encompass a clinically important subpopulation of cells within adipose tissue. The subpopulation of human cells described in the patent was defined by characterizing specific cell surface markers for cells, which posses the ability to self replicate and differentiate toward one or more lineages.

Specifically, the newly issued claims are directed to cells expressing certain combinations of STRO-1+, CD29+, CD44+, CD71+, CD49D+, CD90+, CD105+, SH3, CD45-, CD31- and low or undetectable levels of CD106. Such cell surface marker studies are a robust method of describing stem and other cells and were performed at the University of California. The patent application containing these claims is jointly owned by the University of California and the University of Pittsburgh.

The ‘537 patent is distinct from the issued, allowed, and pending patents and patent applications related to Cytori’s Celution® System product platform, which is protected by a family of patents related to U.S. Patent No. 7,390,484 (“the ‘484 patent”). The ‘484 patent describes the Celution System technology, which processes adipose-derived stem and regenerative cells at a patient’s bedside.

About Cytori
Cytori’s (NASDAQ: CYTX) goal is to be the global leader in regenerative medicine. The company is dedicated to providing patients with new options for reconstructive surgery, developing treatments for cardiovascular disease, and banking patients’ adult stem and regenerative cells. The Celution® 800 System is being introduced in Europe into the reconstructive surgery market while the Celution® 900 System is commercialize globally for cryopreserving a patient’s own stem and regenerative cells. Clinical trials are ongoing in cardiovascular disease and planned for spinal disc degeneration, gastrointestinal disorders, and other unmet medical needs.

Cautionary Statement Regarding Forward-Looking Statements
This press release includes forward-looking statements regarding events, trends and business prospects, which may affect our future operating results and financial position. Such statements are subject to risks and uncertainties that could cause our actual results and financial position to differ materially. Some of these risks and uncertainties include our history of operating losses, the need for further financing, regulatory uncertainties regarding the collection and results of, clinical data, dependence on third party performance, and other risks and uncertainties described under the “Risk Factors” in Cytori’s Securities and Exchange Commission Filings. We assume no responsibility to update or revise any forward-looking statements to reflect events, trends or circumstances after the date they are made.

Source
Tom Baker
Cytori Therapeutics

http://www.cytoritx.com