A revolutionary T-cell immunotherapy developed by scientists at the University of Pennsylvania in the US has demonstrated a positive result in acute lymphoblastic leukaemia (ALL), an aggressive form of childhood cancer. The results of the treatment, which was administered to two patients aged seven and 10, are scheduled to appear in the 18 April 2013 edition of The New England Journal of Medicine. A summary of the study was released early on 25 March.
Mesoblast Ltd of Australia has raised A$170 million (€136.3 million) in a private placement of its shares with existing and new investors including M&G Investment Management and Capital Research. The monies will fund the company’s cell therapies.
Just eight months after securing £17 million in new equity, Cell Medica Ltd has expanded its management team to appoint a chief medical officer, a chief financial officer and a vice president of development all of whom will be based in the US.
A stem-cell encapsulation product designed to treat people with insulin-dependent diabetes has received fresh funding, and according to the developer, could enter the clinic in 2014.
Bone Therapeutics SA of Belgium has raised €7.7 million from existing private and institutional investors and the Walloon regional government to advance the clinical development of its lead cell therapy product for bone disease.
Scientists at the Scripps Clinic in California have started research on an autologous stem-cell therapy for Parkinson’s disease intended to help patients produce sufficient amounts of dopamine to alleviate the worst symptoms of the disorder.
Developers of stem cell and gene therapies and tissue engineered products have until 31 March to give their views on the effectiveness of EU legislation that defines the regulatory framework for these products, known as advanced therapy medicinal products (ATMPs).
Shire Plc has taken further steps to strengthen its franchise in rare diseases with an agreement to acquire privately-owned Lotus Tissue Repair Inc which has a preclinical product for the treatment of dystrophic epidermolysis bullosa (DEB). Financial terms were not disclosed.
AstraZeneca Plc has entered into a research agreement with Cellular Dynamics International Inc to use the US company’s human induced pluripotent stem cell lines for drug discovery. This is the latest in a series of iPS cell initiatives to be announced since early November 2012.
Two out of the three patients with chronic lymphoid leukaemia (CLL) who were treated with a novel immunotherapy in 2010 remain healthy and in full remission more than two years after treatment, according to University of Pennsylvania researchers.