Advanced Cell reports promising study results
Marlborough-based Advanced Cell Technology said a new stem cell development method might allow for treatment for additional types of inflammatory and autoimmune conditions.
A study published in Stem Cell and Development found that mesenchymal stem cells (a loosely organized type of cell) developed from hemangioblasts, which are precursor cells, are more potent, easier to derive in large numbers and last longer.
Advanced Cell’s research found that animals treated for lupus with this type of stem cells survived and enjoyed increased kidney function, while most of the untreated animals died within a few months.
“This … could overcome many of the obstacles that currently plague the use of stem cells in regenerative medicine and may serve as a scalable alternative,” Robert Lanza, Advanced Cell’s chief scientific officer, said in a statement.
The new cells also had a therapeutic effect on animals with both mild and severe uveitis (inflammation of the middle of the eye), Lanza said, which accounts for 10 percent of blindness in humans in the United States.
Traditional mesenchymal stem cells must be constantly replenished by donors, limiting its scalability due to inconsistent quality of donor sources and a loss of potency. But hemangioblasts replace the need for donors, Advanced Cell said, overcoming these challenges.
The company is currently testing this new cell development method on other animal diseases to see where else it could provide therapeutic benefit, said Ted Myles, interim president, chief financial officer and executive vice president of corporate development.
“We view our … program to be a promising component of our pre-clinical pipeline,” Myles said in a statement.
This is a bit of welcome news for Advanced Cell, which in recent months reported the launch of a federal investigation into allegations that former CEO Gary Rabin failed to report sale of company stock, paid $4.1 million to settle claims that the company sold billions of shares of unregistered penny stocks, and saw Rabin resign.
Earlier this month, the company reported it would need to restate financial results between 2009 and 2013 due to misapplied accounting guidance.
(Image credit: freedigitalphotos.net)
WBJ Web Partners
Most Recent
Most Recent
0 Comments