ReNeuron Group Plc has upgraded its collaboration with the Schepens Eye Research Institute in the US with the signing of a patent and licensing deal giving it rights to develop and commercialise human retinal precursor cells (hRPCs).
In a major advance for personalised medicine, the UK Human Tissue Authority has authorised a new stem cell banking service that will extract adult stem cells from human blood samples and store them for up to 20 years for use against future disease.
TiGenix NV of Belgium has raised €15.2 million in a rights issue, putting the finishing touches on a merger with Cellerix SA of Spain to create a new, larger company focused on cell-based therapeutics. The issue was fully subscribed.
Shire Plc has announced an agreement to acquire the privately-held US regenerative medicines company, Advanced BioHealing Inc, for $750 million in cash. The US company has a marketed product for diabetic foot ulcers.
Researchers from the Schepens Eye Research Institute in the US have reported regenerating retinal tissue in mice using induced pluripotent stem cells derived from mouse skin. The institute is an affiliate of the Harvard Medical School.
Takeda Ventures Inc, the corporate venture arm of Takeda Pharmaceutical Company, is the latest venture fund to invest in Fate Therapeutics Inc which is developing compounds that modulate stem-cell pathways. Financial details were not disclosed.
Dendreon Corporation is seeking authorisation to open manufacturing sites at two new locations in the US for its prostate cancer vaccine, Provenge (sipuleucel-T), to meet demand for the treatment, David Urdal, CSO, told a London conference.
Geron Corp. is set to receive $25 million from the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine to support the clinical work on its stem-cell therapy for spinal cord injury. The money is a loan with repayment contingent on product success.
Juventas Therapeutics, a 2007 spin-out of the Cleveland Clinic in the US, has reported the completion of a Phase 1 study of its regenerative medicine product for heart failure. No adverse events related to the treatment were reported.
The Stanford University School of Medicine, together with privately-held SanBio Inc, have started a Phase 1/2a trial of an allogeneic cell therapy on patients with stable deficits resulting from a stroke.