AngioStemTM Inc. Licenses Universal Donor Stem Cell Technology from Queensland University Australia

Creative Medical Health Spin-Off Seeks to Develop Stem Cell Cure for Multi-Billion Dollar Ischemic Diseases Market

PHOENIX--()--AngioStemTM Inc. announced today signing of an exclusive licensing agreement with Queensland University covering intellectual property on newly discovered placentally derived stem cell populations. The proprietary stem cells are believed to play a role in successful pregnancy by creating new blood vessels that lead to formation and function of the placenta.

AngioStemTM plans to use the unique ability of these placentally derived stem cells to recreate new blood vessel formation in areas of the body that are lacking blood flow. Creation of new blood vessels, a process termed “angiogenesis,” is anticipated to be beneficial for patients suffering from heart failure, peripheral artery disease and post-stroke mental impairments.

The cellular populations, discovered by Drs. Kiarash Khosrotehrani and Jatin Patel from the University of Queensland, Australia, have been shown to be commercially scalable and pre-clinical demonstration in an animal model of peripheral vascular disease has already been published in the scientific literature1.

Dr. Khosrotehrani said the agreement would allow AngioStemTM to use this unique ability of stem cells to recreate new blood vessels in areas of the body that were lacking blood flow. “AngioStemTM has demonstrated experience in developing similar treatments as it specialises in angiogenesis techniques, where new blood vessels are formed from pre-existing vessels,” he said. “We are eager to collaborate with AngioStemTM in bringing these promising cells to patients suffering from conditions such as peripheral artery disease, for which no curative measures currently exist.”

Dr. Khosrotehrani previously observed that fetal stem cells enter the mother across the placenta and can persist for decades, acting as “repair cells” for the mother. This was first published in a landmark paper in the Journal of the American Medical Association in 20042, and subsequently repeated by independent groups3,4. It is believed that these cells, which have a proven safety record in pregnancy, are identical to the ones that have been licensed.

“I have been a follower of Dr. Khosrotehrani’s work for more than a decade. I look forward to working with him and his team at accelerating clinical development in the most expedient and cost effective manner possible,” said Dr. Thomas Ichim, President and Chief Executive Officer of AngioStemTM. “In contrast to other stem cell approaches, the current cells can be easily obtained and expanded to therapeutic numbers in an economical manner. We believe this, combined with superior efficacy, will differentiate AngioStemTM from other companies in the field.”

“I congratulate Dr. Ichim on identifying this promising technology, leading the in-licensing effort, and look forward to implementation of his plans for “fast forwarding” commercialization and clinical development in the same manner that he has with other cellular therapeutic programs that he previously led,” said Timothy Warbington, President and CEO of Creative Medical Health, Inc., and chairman of AngioStemTM. “As one of the spin-offs of Creative Medical Health, the rapid means in which AngioStemTM was able to secure funding, recruit management, and now successfully sign a licensing deal giving us potentially game-changing technology, speaks volumes about the Creative Medical Health business model.”

1 Patel et al. Novel isolation strategy to deliver pure fetal-origin and maternal-origin mesenchymal stem cell (MSC) populations from human term placenta. Placenta. 2014 Nov;35(11):969-71. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/?term=25239220
2 Khosrotehrani et al. Transfer of fetal cells with multilineage potential to maternal tissue. JAMA. 2004 Jul 7;292(1):75-80. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15238593
3 Mahmood et al. Microchimeric fetal cells play a role in maternal wound healing after pregnancy. Chimerism. 2014;5(2):40-52. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24717775
4 Groër et al. Fetal microchimerism and women's health: a new paradigm. Biol Res Nurs. 2011 Oct;13(4):346-50. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21112916

Contacts

AngioStem Inc.
Thomas Ichim, Ph.D., 858-353-4303
President – CEO
thomas.ichim@gmail.com

Contacts

AngioStem Inc.
Thomas Ichim, Ph.D., 858-353-4303
President – CEO
thomas.ichim@gmail.com