The Japanese stem cell scientist Yoshiki Sasai, whose papers on somatic cell reprogramming created controversy earlier this year and were later retracted by Nature, was found dead in early August, reportedly by suicide.
Mesenchymal stem cells (MSC), a type of adult stem cell, have properties that make them potentially suitable for a wide range of therapies. Depending on how they are cultured, they can produce cartilage, bone and fat and help control inflammation and immunity.
UniQure NV of the Netherlands, the first company in the western world to market a licensed gene therapy, has expanded its portfolio with the acquisition of a German biotechnology company with a preclinical product for the treatment of congestive heart failure.
The Advocate General of the Court of Justice of the European Union has given a fresh interpretation to restrictions laid down by the court in 2011 on the patentability of human embryos for industrial or commercial purposes.
Cardio3 BioSciences SA of Belgium is to sell shares valued at €25 million to Medisun International Ltd of Hong Kong in a two-part deal that will also see it participate in a joint venture with
A US-based research team has created the first patient-specific stem cells from an adult donor with Type 1 diabetes, and a healthy control, demonstrating that it may one day be possible to treat people with the disease with their own insulin-producing cells.
About 4,000 trials are ongoing in cell-based technology – of which an estimated 1,058 are novel treatments. The cell therapy industry would be transformed if just 100 of these novel treatments successfully completed clinical development and reached the market.
AAVLife SA, a French start-up company that is using an adeno-associated virus vector to deliver a new gene therapy, has raised $12 million in a series A equity placement led by Versant Ventures Management LLC of Menlo Park, California.
A novel gene therapy developed by bluebird bio Inc of Cambridge, Massachusetts has been administered to a patient with beta-thalassemia, a rare blood disorder. The treatment involves an autologous haematopoietic stem cell transplantation.
The UK government has decided to commit £55 million for the construction of a cell therapy manufacturing centre to support the commercialization of cell therapies, attract inward investment, and boost exports. The investment was announced on 19 March.