Vesta Therapeutics Awarded Research Grant
Durham, NC (PRWEB via PR Web Direct)
June 16, 2005 -- Vesta Therapeutics, Inc., announced today the awarding of a
Phase I Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Grant from the National
Institutes of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK), a division of
the National Institutes of Health (NIH). This grant will support exploring the
use of adipose derived adult stem (ADAS) cells as a therapeutic modality in
liver disease.
Liver failure secondary to hepatitis, hepatotoxin
exposure, and cirrhosis threatens the lives of thousands in the United States
alone. At this time, liver transplantation is the only therapeutic option
available to patients other than palliative measures. Unfortunately, the number
of patients waiting for a transplant outnumbers the available donor organs.
Adult stem cell research presents a potential alternative therapeutic option. A
number of studies have demonstrated that adult stem cells from multiple tissues
can improve in vivo regeneration of damaged organs, including the liver.
The objective of this Phase I is to demonstrate the in vitro ability of
human ADAS cells to express hepatocytes or hepatic biliary cell differentiation
markers in conjunction with expression of cytokines associated with liver
regeneration. The planned Phase II will be a preclinical study aimed at
demonstrating ADAS cell ability to enhance hepatic regeneration and repair in
vivo.
This grant is a collaboration between Vesta Therapeutics, Inc.,
and the Pennington Biomedical Research Center, Louisiana State University, Baton
Rouge. John W. Ludlow, Ph.D., Vesta's head of research and development, will be
the Principal Investigator. Jeffry M. Gimble, M.D., Ph.D., Professor at the
Pennington Biomedical Research Center, will be the collaborator.
Vesta
Therapeutics is a privately held company developing cell therapeutics for liver
repair and regeneration. The Company's technology is centered on the isolation,
expansion, and cryopreservation of liver cells obtained from organ donor livers
that are not suitable for whole organ transplantation. The Food and Drug
Administration has allowed the Company's Investigational New Drug (IND)
application for a Phase I clinical trial of cryopreserved, allogeneic human
liver cells for the treatment of patients with cirrhosis and end-stage liver
disease.
Media Contact:
Brad Damratoski
919-433-1933
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Source : http://www.prweb.com/releases/2005/6/prweb252193.htm