LA BioMed And CellSeed To Launch Joint Research Project On Regenerative Medicine

[Guest guest]

LA BioMed And CellSeed To Launch Joint Research Project On Regenerative Medicine

Technology

http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/217751.php

Los Angeles Biomedical Research Institute at Harbor-UCLA Medical Center (LA

BioMed) and CellSeed Inc., a Japanese biotechnology firm, have entered into a

two-year research agreement to study CellSeed's proprietary core technology in

regenerative medicine, " Cell Sheet Engineering, " LA BioMed President and CEO

I. Meyer, PhD, announced today.

" LA BioMed is working to accelerate the pace of discovery and development so

that new therapies and treatments can safely reach the patients who need them as

quickly as possible, " said Dr. Meyer. " We look forward to conducting studies to

determine the safety and efficacy of the novel cellular therapies developed by

CellSeed and to expanding the possibilities of regenerative medicine. "

CellSeed has developed a method for taking small quantities of a patient's own

progenitor cells and culturing them in a special cell culturing dish. When the

cells have grown sufficiently to create a sheet of cells, they are transplanted

back into the patient. If the transplant is successful, the cells will

differentiate to replace the damaged cells and restore the functions that have

been lost. By using the patient's own cells, this technology reduces the risk of

tissue rejection and avoids the need to wait for a donor. CellSeed is testing

this technology to repair corneal and other tissues damaged by disease.

" For CellSeed, this is a golden opportunity to collaborate with one of the

nation's leading biomedical research institutes, where many cutting-edge

biomedical and biotechnological innovations have emerged. We believe that the

studies with LA BioMed will enable us to bring our successful results in Europe

to America. We also anticipate that such studies would give birth to a

breakthrough that further advances Cell Sheet Engineering, " said Yukio Hasegawa,

PhD, CellSeed president and CEO.

CellSeed's clinical trial of its regenerative cornea technology in France is

nearing completion, and the necessary paperwork to seek the European Medicines

Agency's authorization for commercialization of the process is being completed.

The company is also broadening its range of commercial opportunities for

regenerative medicine with Cell Sheet products to treat severe heart failure and

periodontal disease, regenerate endoscopy-dissected cancerous esophagus and

damaged cartilage, and treat other conditions.

" LA BioMed will be participating in a potentially revolutionary technology that,

in clinical trials, has restored the vision of blind patients in Europe, " said

Yutaka Niihara, MD, LA BioMed principal investigator who will lead the research

team. " With this agreement, we can conduct the studies needed to meet the

requirements for the Food and Drug Administration's approval to bring this

promising new technology to American patients. "