SAN DIEGO, NEW HAVEN, Conn. and SPRINGFIELD, Va., Dec.
3, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- Organovo Holdings,
Inc. (NYSE MKT: ONVO) ("Organovo"), a three-dimensional
biology company focused on delivering breakthrough 3D bioprinting
technology, and Yale School of
Medicine, Department of Surgery have formed a
collaboration to develop bioprinted tissues for surgical
transplantation research, made possible by a generous gift from the
Methuselah Foundation.
At any given time, the waiting lists for critical organ
transplants are three to five times as long as the list of
available organs. In addition, other transplantable tissues, such
as blood vessels, lung, and bone, are also in high demand with few
sources.
"Developing organs for surgical implantation will take
meaningful efforts and focused partnerships. This collaboration
with Yale, which combines their expertise and technology with our
own, is one important step in progressing towards implantable,
therapeutic tissues," said Keith
Murphy, chairman and CEO of Organovo. "We are grateful to
the Methuselah Foundation for their generous gift that gives those
working towards significant breakthroughs in organ bioprinting an
opportunity to use the NovoGen bioprinter and enable greater access
to Organovo's powerful platform."
The fast-growing field of tissue engineering developed to
address the shortage of tissues available for repair and
transplantation. At Yale's School of Engineering & Applied
Science and Yale's Department of Surgery clinicians and basic
scientists are working to combine tissue engineering technologies
with medical therapies.
"We are excited to begin this collaboration with Organovo and
are honored to be part of Methuselah's University 3D Bioprinter
Program, which gives our key researchers access to cutting-edge 3D
bioprinting technology," said Dr. John
Geibel, Vice Chairman, Director of Surgical Research, and
Professor of Surgery and Cellular and Molecular Physiology at
Yale University. "This collaboration is
a great way to bring the best minds of both worlds to solve a major
research and medical goal – using bioprinting to produce
transplantable tissues."
Under Methuselah's University 3D Bioprinter Program, Methuselah
is donating at least $500,000 in
direct funding to be divided among several institutions for
Organovo bioprinter research projects. This funding will cover
budgeted bioprinter costs, as well as other aspects of project
execution.
"We at the Methuselah Foundation have been a
long-time supporter of academic and industry research in
3D bioprinting, regenerative medicine, and tissue engineering,"
said David Gobel, CEO of the
Methuselah Foundation. "Our University 3D Bioprinter Program puts
Organovo's breakthrough 3D bioprinting technology in the hands
of the brightest scientists at tissue engineering centers of
excellence."
About Yale School of
Medicine
Founded in 1810, the Yale School of
Medicine is a world-renowned center for biomedical research,
education and advanced health care. Among its divisions are one of
the nation's oldest schools of public health and the
internationally recognized Child Study Center, founded in 1911. Its
Yale Cancer Center is one of 41 comprehensive cancer centers
designated by the National Cancer Institute. Its 33 academic
departments include 11 in the basic sciences, 19 in clinical
fields, and 5 in public health. The School of Medicine has made
major contributions to public health by isolating the polio virus,
promoting the early use of cancer chemotherapy, adding to the
arsenal of AIDS medications, developing a promising Lyme disease vaccine, discovering genes that
contribute to skin cancer and high blood pressure, and making
breakthroughs in the treatment of Parkinson's disease, depression
and other mental disorders. The School of Medicine consistently
ranks among the handful of leading recipients of research funding
from the National Institutes of Health and other organizations
supporting the biomedical sciences.
About Methuselah Foundation
The Methuselah Foundation is a non-profit medical charity
working to create a world where 90 year olds can have the health
profile of 50 year olds, by 2030. By opportunistically leveraging
resources, enabling partnerships, and awarding prizes and grants,
we accelerate disruptive developments in biomedical engineering
that will eradicate needless suffering and extend healthy human
life. For more information please
visit: www.methuselahfoundation.org and www.neworgan.org.
About Organovo Holdings, Inc.
Organovo designs and creates functional, three-dimensional human
tissues for use in medical research and therapeutic applications.
The Company develops 3D human disease models through internal
development and in collaboration with pharmaceutical and academic
partners. Organovo's 3D human tissues have the potential to
accelerate the drug discovery process, enabling treatments to be
developed faster and at lower cost. The company recently launched
its initial product of the planned exVive3DTM portfolio offering, a
3D Human Liver Tissue for use in Toxicology and other preclinical
drug testing. Additional products, including a 3D Kidney Model, are
in development with anticipated release for use in the latter half
of calendar year 2016. The company also actively conducts
early research on specific tissues for therapeutic use in direct
surgical applications. In addition to numerous scientific
publications, the Company's technology has been featured in The
Wall Street Journal, Time Magazine, The Economist, and numerous
others. Organovo is changing the shape of medical research and
practice. Learn more at www.organovo.com.
Safe Harbor Statement
Any statements contained in this press release that do not
describe historical facts may constitute forward-looking statements
as that term is defined in the Private Securities Litigation Reform
Act of 1995. Any forward-looking statements contained herein are
based on current expectations, but are subject to a number of risks
and uncertainties. The factors that could cause actual future
results to differ materially from current expectations include, but
are not limited to, risks and uncertainties relating to the
Company's ability to develop, market and sell products based on its
technology; the expected benefits and efficacy of the Company's
products and technology; the market acceptance of the Company's
products; and the Company's business, research, product
development, regulatory approval, marketing and distribution plans
and strategies. These and other factors are identified and
described in more detail in our filings with the SEC,
including our annual report on Form 10-K filed with
the SEC on June 10, 2014 and its report on Form
10-Q filed with the SEC on November 7, 2014, as well
as our other filings with the SEC. You should not place undue
reliance on these forward-looking statements, which speak only as
of the date that they were made. These cautionary statements should
be considered with any written or oral forward-looking statements
that we may issue in the future. Except as required by applicable
law, including the securities laws of the United States, we do not intend to update any
of the forward-looking statements to conform these statements to
reflect actual results, later events or circumstances or to reflect
the occurrence of unanticipated events.
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SOURCE Organovo Holdings, Inc.