New Mesenchymal Stem Cell Population from Human Pluripotent Stem Cells Displays Potent Immunomodulatory & Therapeutic Propert...
March 24 2014 - 4:55PM
Business Wire
Advanced Cell Technology, Inc. ("ACT"; OTCBB: ACTC), a leader in
the field of regenerative medicine, and its collaborators reported
today that it has discovered a new method to generate a potent and
replenishable population of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) from
pluripotent stem cells. The research appears online ahead of print
in Stem Cell and Development, one of the top stem cells journals,
published by Mary Ann Liebert, Inc. This new and proprietary
population of pluripotent stem cell-derived MSCs displays potent
immunomodulatory and therapeutic properties and has a greater than
30,000 fold proliferative capacity, relative to ordinary bone
marrow-derived MSCs, the most commonly used source for MSCs in
clinical trials. The paper is available free online at
http://online.liebertpub.com/doi/abs/10.1089/scd.2013.0554.
There are currently over 300 clinical trials evaluating MSC
therapeutic utility in a variety of diseases. Unlike other types of
cellular therapies, MSCs can be used in allogeneic settings without
immunosuppressive therapy due to the cells’ ability to evade immune
detection. MSCs home to injured tissue and provide therapeutic
support through a multifaceted mechanism. They secrete a dynamic
assortment of bioactive cytokines, trophic factors, and
anti-inflammatory molecules in response to environmental cues. The
traditional sources of MSCs are from adult tissues and have limited
expansion capacity and so must be constantly replenished from more
donors, and screened for pathogens. Moreover, there is an
appreciable loss of potency upon propagation of adult MSCs in
culture, which along with inconsistent quality of current MSC
sources, limits the scalability of their use in therapy. We believe
our new method can overcome these limitations as we have taken
advantage of a versatile precursor cell called the “hemangioblast.”
hESC-derived hemangioblasts replace the need for donors, and our
pre-clinical studies have demonstrated these hESC-MSCs have the
capacity to respond to environmental cues, influence immune cell
function, and exert therapeutic effects to reduce clinical symptoms
in two different autoimmune disease models.
“This population of MSCs may have a therapeutic effect that
could overcome many of the obstacles that currently plague the use
of stem cells in regenerative medicine and may serve as a scalable
alternative to current MSC sources,” said Robert Lanza, MD, Chief
Scientific Officer at ACT, and senior author of the study. “In
addition to being easy to derive in large numbers, they appear to
be more potent than adult MSCs and have a longer duration of
action. If these cells prove to have a better therapeutic index
than adult MSCs, they may provide for treatments of inflammatory
and autoimmune conditions for which adult MSC treatment is
currently not tenable. As reported in the study, the cells
preserved kidney function and increased the lifespan of animals
with lupus. There is currently no cure for this devastating
disease. In our study, most untreated animals died in the first few
months, whereas all of the animals treated with two injections of
our MSCs survived during the same time period. These new cells also
had a therapeutic effect in animals with both mild and severe
uveitis. In humans this disease accounts for approximately 10% of
blindness in the United States.”
“We are encouraged by the publication of these study results and
we view our MSC program to be a promising component of our
pre-clinical pipeline,” stated Ted Myles, Interim President, CFO
and EVP of Corporate Development, of ACT. “Drs. Lanza and Kimbrel,
and their colleagues, have demonstrated that MSCs derived from
pluripotent stem cells may provide a viable alternative to
adult-derived MSCs. ACT is currently running a number of additional
studies in other animal disease models that may help to define the
range of indications in which hESC-MSCs could provide therapeutic
benefit.”
The paper’s other authors are Erin A. Kimbrel (first author of
the paper), Nicholas A. Kouris, Gregory Yavanian & Jianlin Chu
of ACT; and Yu Qin, Ann Chan, Ram P. Singh, Deborah McCurdy, Lynn
Gordon, and Ralph D. Levinson of the Division of Rheumatology and
Department of Ophthalmology, Jules Stein Eye Institute, David
Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA.
About Advanced Cell Technology, Inc.
Advanced Cell Technology, Inc. is a Marlborough, Mass.-based
biotechnology company focused on the development and
commercialization of human embryonic stem cell (hESC) and adult
stem cell technology. The company’s most advanced products are in
clinical trials for the treatment of dry age-related macular
degeneration and Stargardt’s macular degeneration. ACT’s
preclinical programs involve cell therapies for the treatment of
other ocular disorders and for diseases outside the field of
ophthalmology, including autoimmune, inflammatory and wound
healing-related disorders. The company’s intellectual property
portfolio includes pluripotent stem cell platforms – hESC and
induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC) – and other cell therapy
research programs. For more information, visit
http://www.advancedcell.com.
Forward-Looking Statements
Statements in this news release regarding future financial and
operating results, the relevance and applicability of clinical
trials in animals to studying the effect of products in humans,
future growth in animal and human research and development
programs, potential new applications of and expanded indications
covering our technology, the potential therapeutic application of
donorless sources of stem cells , and any other statements about
the future expectations, beliefs, goals, plans, or prospects
expressed by management constitute forward-looking statements
within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act
of 1995. Any statements that are not statements of historical fact
(including statements containing the words “will,” “believes,”
“plans,” “anticipates,” “expects,” “estimates,” and similar
expressions) should also be considered to be forward-looking
statements. There are a number of important factors that could
cause actual results or events to differ materially from those
indicated by such forward-looking statements, including: limited
operating history, need for and limited sources of future capital,
failures or delays in obtaining regulatory approval of products,
risks inherent in the development and commercialization of
potential products, reliance on new and unproven technology in the
development of products, protection of our intellectual property,
and economic conditions generally. Additional information on
potential factors that could affect our results and other risks and
uncertainties are detailed from time to time in the company’s
periodic reports, including the Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for
the three months ended September, 2013. Forward-looking statements
are based on the beliefs, opinions, and expectations of the
company’s management at the time they are made, and the company
does not assume any obligation to update its forward-looking
statements if those beliefs, opinions, expectations, or other
circumstances should change. Forward-looking statements are based
on the beliefs, opinions, and expectations of the company’s
management at the time they are made, and the company does not
assume any obligation to update its forward-looking statements if
those beliefs, opinions, expectations, or other circumstances
should change. There can be no assurance that the Company’s
clinical trials will be successful.
Investors:CEOcast, Inc.Bob Woods, 212-732-4300orPress:Russo
PartnersDavid Schull, 212-845-4271