Jul 18 2012
BioTime, Inc. (NYSE MKT: BTX), a biotechnology company that develops and
markets products in the field of regenerative medicine, today announced
the signing of an exclusive sublicense agreement and a supply agreement
with Jade Therapeutics, LLC, a developer of an ophthalmological
therapeutic sustained-release drug delivery platform. Under the
agreements, BioTime will provide Jade with clinical-grade HyStem®
hydrogels and certain patented technology for use by Jade
Therapeutics in the development of new pharmaceutical products for
ophthalmologic use. Jade plans to utilize the hydrogels to facilitate
time-release topical delivery of recombinant human growth hormone to
help heal lesions on the ocular surface. Jade Therapeutics will retain
rights to market their product upon completion of development and
obtaining marketing approval. Financial terms of the transaction were
not disclosed.
William P. Tew, Ph.D., BioTime's Chief Commercialization Officer, stated
that "Numerous published scientific reports have established the
efficacy of HyStem® to facilitate cell transplantation
in animal models, and we currently plan on a near-term approval to
market one HyStem®-related product, ReneviaTM,
in the EU for reconstructive and cosmetic surgery. We believe our HyStem®
technology may also be useful as a device for the slow, timed
release of therapeutic agents such as those being developed by Jade
Therapeutics, as well as for the controlled release of proteins secreted
from BioTime's stem cell lines."
"The HyStem® product line has potential utility in a
wide array of human therapeutic products," said Michael West, Ph.D.,
BioTime's CEO. "We intend to seek additional industry partners for
applications that are not core to our own therapeutic product
development."
BioTime's HyStem® hydrogels are proprietary
biocompatible hydrogels that mimic the human extracellular matrix (ECM),
a web of molecules surrounding cells that is essential to cellular
function. When cells lacking the ECM (or an ECM substitute) are
introduced into the body, they typically die or fail to function
correctly after transplantation. BioTime's HyStem® hydrogels
are currently being used by researchers at a number of leading medical
schools in studies of stem cell therapies for facilitating wound healing
and for the treatment of ischemic stroke, brain cancer, vocal fold
scarring, and cardiac infarct.
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