Stemedica Cell Technologies Inc., a leading manufacturer of adult, allogeneic stem cells and stem cell factors, received a new patent from the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office, US8709081 entitled “Cellular Scaffold.” This patent, coupled with the US8105380 patent issued in 2012, extends Stemedica’s proprietary technology to therapeutic skin regeneration. The scaffolds are human skin equivalents that can be transplanted to regenerate skin in patients with skin defects, such as burn injuries, or diseases affecting skin, such as diabetic ulcers.
“Adding biologically active factors to Stemedica’s original, patented cellular scaffolds might increase the engrafting capability and the potency of engrafted cells,” says Alex Kharazi, M.D., Ph.D., Chief Technology Officer of Stemedica. “We expect our newly patented technology to enhance the overall performance of the scaffold and make it more competitive among available, human skin equivalents.”
Invented by Dr. Alex Kharazi, Dr. Ludmila Kharazi, Stemedica’s Senior Research Scientist, and Dr. Nikolai Tankovich, Stemedica’s President and Chief Medical Officer, the new patent contains stem cell factors derived from the cells to enhance cellular effect and modulate stem cell action. The cellular scaffolds are used in cell-based assays, and they detect in vitro effects of environmental factors and chemical factors on skin development. The invention relates to a layered cell scaffold that is seeded with mesenchymal and ectodermal cells, as well as molecules (collectively called stem cell factors) derived from those cells. The layered cellular scaffold comprises an inoculum of mesenchymal cells and ectodermal cells positioned between two opposing scaffolds in a sandwich configuration.
“Our newest patent is a significant achievement in tissue engineering, and it is another example of how Stemedica applies its expertise to push the boundary of what is possible with stem cells,” says Nikolai Tankovich, M.D., Ph.D., FASLMS, President, Chief Medical Officer and Director of Stemedica. “Stemedica is designing truly regenerative medicine – treatments that address core problems rather than only alleviating symptoms. Our patented scaffolds are designed as multi-layer, multi-cell and multi-compound structures, which more closely resembles how real skin is structured. As a result the scaffolds respond more like human skin than anything we have yet seen. This presents tremendous opportunities for us to treat a significant number of skin pathologies and conditions.”
About Stemedica Cell Technologies Inc.
Stemedica Cell Technologies Inc. is a specialty biopharmaceutical company that manufactures best-in-class, allogeneic, adult stem cells and stem cell-derived factors. The company is a government-licensed manufacturer of cGMP, clinical-grade stem cells currently used in clinical trials for acute myocardial infarction, chronic heart failure, cutaneous photoaging and ischemic stroke. Stemedica’s products are also used by research institutions and hospitals for pre-clinical and clinical (human) trial activities. Under the auspices of the FDA and other international regulatory institutions, Stemedica is developing additional clinical trials using its adult, allogeneic stem cells for other medical indications. The company has headquarters in San Diego, California, and can be found online at www.stemedica.com. .
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Christina Gramatikova
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