 |
 |
AnthroGen Discovery Utilizes Placenta as Source of New Multi-Potent Stem Cell; Ready Source of Cells Promises to Expedite Research for Wide Range of Disorders Source: Business Wire Publication date: 2001-04-11 CEDAR KNOLLS, N.J.--(BW HealthWire)--April 11, 2001--Scientists at Anthrogenesis Corporation (AnthroGen(R)), a New Jersey biotechnology company, announce the discovery of a novel method to recover stem cells from post-natal placentas. This method allows the recovery of a type of stem cell that appears to have the same functions as a traditional multi-potent stem cell but with unique characteristics. These placental-derived stem cells can be harvested in significant quantities and have the ability to evolve into a number of important cell types and tissues in the body. The discoveries were made by a team of AnthroGen scientists through a proprietary process of working with post-natal placentas to mobilize and recover a broad range of stem cells in large quantities, as well as stromal elements necessary for stem cell differentiation. Post-natal placentas recovered after the safe delivery of a healthy baby normally are usually disposed of as medical waste. AnthroGen's patent pending technology covers both the stem cells derived from the placenta, as well as the technology used to recover them. The technology promises to provide a plentiful, standardized source of stem cells for researchers developing therapies for life-threatening diseases including Parkinson's Disease, stroke, spinal cord injury and an array of organ failure syndromes. These multi-potent stem cells, which retain the ability to turn into many important cell types and tissues in the body, are vital to the fields of regenerative medicine and tissue engineering because they may be capable of growing new mature tissues such as brain, heart muscle, liver, bone and cartilage. In addition, utilizing the placenta as a reservoir of stem cells will enable researchers to work with an available, reliable, standardized source that will help eliminate the variability among stem cells obtained from various sources, and improve the quality of clinical research. "This breakthrough may pave the way for the rapid and unfettered clinical development of cell therapeutics and engineered human tissues," said Jerome B. Zeldis, M.D., Ph.D., a member of AnthroGen's Scientific Advisory Committee and Board of Directors. Dr. Zeldis is Chief Medical Officer and Vice President-Medical Affairs of Celgene Corporation (NASDAQ-CELG). "The discovery of a novel multi-potent stem cell within the placenta has the potential to propel cellular therapy forward at a heretofore unimagined rate because of the volume of these cells that can be recovered from a single placenta and because of the availability of post- natal placentas as a source," explained Robert Hariri, M.D., Ph.D., Chief Science Officer for AnthroGen. "The density of these multi-potent cells in the recovered material is staggering when you consider how rare these cells are in other tissue sources," he added. "With four million births a year in the United States alone, we are on the threshold of a large-scale source of these cells." AnthroGen is working with the ALS Therapy Development Foundation to provide stem cells for clinical trials into arresting development of the fatal disease. The company anticipates working on a number of collaborative partnerships to develop therapies for a wide range of illnesses and injuries for which stem cell therapies show promise. "We have been working aggressively to improve the quality and quantity of clinically relevant human stem cells which can be isolated from the placenta- an abundant, economical and reliable resource which has traditionally been considered a waste product," said AnthroGen Medical Director Jory Magidson, M.D. "In light of the rapid pace of discovery and development of new therapeutic uses for stem cells, we felt a great sense of urgency to address the need for increased quantities." AnthroGen's technology sustains the discarded placenta after it has been exsanguinated for the recovery of umbilical cord blood, on a type of life-support system which perfuses the organ with special nutrient fluid, and under very specific conditions recruits a previously unrecognized reservoir of stem cells. The method allows scientists to collect these extremely valuable multi-potent stem cells many hours to days after the placenta would normally be disposed. The number and volume of these recovered stem cells is dramatically higher than can be recovered from other sources, including adult bone marrow and tissue, and embryonic or fetal tissue. The scientists characterized the cells recovered, and compared them both to cells found in umbilical cord blood, a known source of hematopoietic stem cells used to replace bone marrow, as well as to commercially available mesenchymal stem cells derived from adult bone marrow. They found that the composition of the placental-derived effluent was completely different. The AnthroGen scientific team found that the placental stem cells can also differentiate into the variety of mature cell types previously reported by scientists studying mesenchymal stem cells, which are progenitor cells that have the capacity to differentiate into bone, cartilage, ligament, tendon, muscle, and bone marrow stroma. AnthroGen scientists have also demonstrated experimentally that the placental stem cells differentiate into other mature cell types, including nerve and blood vessels. Their work will be published in several parts in upcoming journals. In addition, the Company has developed a portfolio of patent-pending device and methods technologies which facilitate the recovery of these and other stem cells on a large scale. Anthrogenesis Corporation, with 22 employees, is a vertically integrated bioengineering company that develops and commercializes novel biomedical applications for biological materials derived from human afterbirth. The company supports human transplantation, tissue engineering, and biomedical research by providing needed sources of cells and tissues. Note: A primer on the various types and applications of stem cells can be found on the Web site of the National Institutes of Health at http://www.nih.gov/news/stemcell/primer.htm and at http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/stemcellsstemcelltransplantation.html For more information about AnthroGen, please visit http://www.anthrogenesis.com Editor's Note: For a replay of this morning's conference call regarding this announcement, please call 888/566-0455 until 11:00 a.m. ET on April 12th. Publication date: 2001-04-11 © 2001, YellowBrix, Inc. http://cnniw.yellowbrix.com/pages/cnniw/Story.nsp?story_id=19777043&ID=cnn iw&scategory=Healthcare%3AGenetic ********* ---------------------------------------------------------------------- To sign-off Parkinsn send a message to: mailto:[log in to unmask] In the body of the message put: signoff parkinsn