BresaGen says to develop catheter for brain cells
THEBARTON, South Australia, Sept 26, 2001 (Reuters) - Australian stem
cell firm BresaGen Ltd. announced on Wednesday plans to develop and
distribute a specialized catheter used to deliver cells into the brain
to treat Parkinson's disease.
The catheter will be developed by Image-Guided Neurologics, a
medical device company based in Melbourne, Florida, and BresaGen
will have an exclusive license to commercialize the device, the
companies said in a statement.
BresaGen said it will test the cell delivery catheter in pre-clinical
research studies at several universities. IGN has first rights to
negotiate
an exclusive agreement for distribution of the catheter once FDA
approval is obtained.
"The cell delivery catheter that is being developed will cause minimal
damage to brain tissue. The catheter tip is visible under magnetic
resonance imaging, allowing cells to be delivered to target locations
with greater accuracy than possible with currently used catheters,''
BresaGen chief scientific officer Dr. Allan Robins said.
Studies have demonstrated that Parkinson's disease symptoms can be
improved by transplanting dopamine-secreting cells
into the striatum of the brain, with accurate cell delivery a critical
part of the procedure, Bresagen said.
The company, which has a U.S. subsidiary BresaGen Inc., said it is
developing a comprehensive cell therapy product line
that includes cells derived from stem cells, catheter devices to
accurately deliver the cells into target locations, and imaging
technologies to evaluate affected tissue.
Copyright © 2001 Yahoo! Inc.
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Judith Richards, London, Ontario, Canada
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