Organovo Collaborates With Professor Melissa Little for Kidney Tissue Research
January 24 2017 - 08:05AM
Organovo Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ:ONVO) (“Organovo”), a
three-dimensional biology company focused on delivering scientific
and medical breakthroughs using its 3D bioprinting technology,
today announced a collaboration with Professor Melissa Little and
the Murdoch Childrens Research Institute, The Royal Children’s
Hospital, Melbourne, Australia to develop an architecturally
correct kidney for potential therapeutic applications. The
collaboration has been made possible by a generous gift from the
Methuselah Foundation (“Methuselah”) as part of its ongoing
University 3D Bioprinter Program.
“Partnerships with world-class institutions can accelerate
groundbreaking work in finding cures for critical unmet disease
needs and the development of implantable therapeutic tissues,"
said Keith Murphy, CEO, Organovo. “This collaboration
with Professor Little’s lab is another important step in this
direction. With the devoted and ongoing support of the
Methuselah Foundation, leading researchers are able to leverage
Organovo’s powerful technology platform to achieve significant
breakthroughs.”
“We have developed an approach for recreating human kidney
tissue from stem cells,” said Professor Melissa Little, Theme
Director of Cell Biology at Murdoch Childrens Research
Institute. “Using Organovo’s bioprinter will give us the
opportunity to bioprint these cells into a more accurate model of
the kidney. While initially important for modelling disease
and screening drugs, we hope that this is also the first step
towards regenerative medicine for kidney disease. We are very
grateful to Organovo and the Methuselah Foundation for this
generous support, which will enable us to advance our research with
the first Organovo bioprinter in the southern hemisphere.”
Under Methuselah Foundation'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 and key 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, 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 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 tissue models
through internal development and in collaboration with
pharmaceutical, academic and other 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’s ExVive Human Liver
and Kidney Tissues are used in toxicology and other preclinical
drug testing. 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,
Forbes, and numerous other media outlets. Organovo is
changing the shape of life science research and transforming
medical care. Learn more at www.organovo.com.
About Murdoch Childrens Research Institute
Murdoch Childrens undertakes research into infant, child and
adolescent health. As the largest child health research
institute in Australia, our 1500 researchers are working hard to
translate the knowledge we create from our research into effective
prevention, early intervention and treatments for children.
We strive for a healthier community, fewer sick kids visiting
hospitals, and the best possible care for children who
unfortunately become ill. The Murdoch Childrens has a proud
history of scientific discovery since its inception in 1986, and is
currently based at The Royal Children’s Hospital in Melbourne,
Australia. For more information please visit:
www.mcri.edu.au.
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.
Forward-Looking StatementsAny statements
contained in this press release that do not describe historical
facts 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 the Company's
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 and services based on its technology; the
expected benefits and efficacy of the Company's products, services
and technology; the market acceptance of the Company's products and
services; the Company's business, research, product development,
regulatory approval, marketing and distribution plans and
strategies, including its use of third party distributors; the
Company's ability to successfully complete the contracts and
recognize the revenue represented by the contracts included in its
previously reported total contract bookings and secure additional
contracted collaborative relationships; the final results of the
Company's preclinical studies may be different from the Company's
studies or interim preclinical data results and may not support
further clinical development of its therapeutic tissues; the
Company may not successfully complete the required preclinical and
clinical trials required to obtain regulatory approval for its
therapeutic tissues on a timely basis or at all; and the Company’s
ability to meet its fiscal year 2017 outlook and/or its long-range
outlook. These and other factors are identified and described
in more detail in the Company's filings with the SEC,
including its Annual Report on Form 10-K filed with
the SEC on June 9, 2016 and its Quarterly Report on
Form 10-Q filed with the SEC on November 3, 2016. 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 the Company may issue in the
future. Except as required by applicable law, including the
securities laws of the United States, the Company does
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.
Investor Contact:
Steve Kunszabo
Organovo Holdings, Inc.
+1 (858) 224-1092
skunszabo@organovo.com
Press Contact:
Jessica Yingling
Little Dog Communications
+1 (858) 344-8091
jessica@litldog.com
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