CellCyte Genetics receives patent on stem cell delivery method

CellCyte Genetics Corporation has announced that is has received notice of the issuance of a U.S. patent (U.S. Patent No. 7,282,222) for its unique methods and compositions approach to deliver and direct stem cells to target organs in the body.

Using this now-patented technology, exclusively licensed to CellCyte from the US Department of Veterans Affairs, the company is developing stem cell enabling therapeutic products designed to allow more efficient delivery and significantly increased retention of adult stem cells to diseased and other target organs, such as the heart.

Dr. Ronald Berninger, Chief Scientific Officer of CellCyte Genetics explains, "The goal of CellCyte's stem cell targeting/retention therapies is to enhance the number of cells available for regeneration of damaged tissue, and thereby markedly increase opportunities for healing and restoring organ function. The company's first product in development, CCG-TH30, is designed to target autologous bone-marrow-derived (adult) stem cells to the heart of patients after a heart attack."

"In preclinical models, CCG-TH30 has been shown to increase the retention of stem cells up to as much as 77% in pre-clinical models as compared to conventional methods, which achieve only up to about 6%," Berninger states. "Importantly, CellCyte's product candidate, along with stem cells, can both be delivered intravenously through a patient's circulatory system without an invasive procedure."

Company CEO, President and Chairman, Gary A. Reys emphasizes the importance of the patent's issuance to the company's position. Reys states, "This patented technology is significant, as it has the potential to fill an important missing piece in the field of regenerative medicine, namely, the ability to target and then keep cells in an organ of interest, in this case, the heart. The issuance of a patent for this platform assures CellCyte Genetics that it will remain a leader in this field as it continues to pursue development of the technology to deliver stem cells to other areas throughout the body."

CellCyte Genetics Corp. is completing preclinical studies and in 2008 will then move to a Phase I human clinical trial using the compound for the heart.

In addition to this indication, the patenting of the technology opens up the possibility for gene therapy and the delivery of a variety of other payloads to the heart via the stem cell vehicle.

http://www.cellcyte.com/