NIH awards ASC grant to study ASC-101-treated amniotic fluid-derived stem cells in compartment syndrome

Sep 17 2012

America Stem Cell, Inc. (ASC) today announced that it has been awarded an Advanced Technology Small Business Technology Transfer Research (STTR) grant from the National Heart Lung and Blood Institute at the National Institutes of Health. This grant will be conducted in collaboration with scientists at the Wake Forest Institute of Regenerative Medicine (WFIRM) in Winston-Salem, NC, and will explore the combination of two technologies: ASC-101 developed by America Stem Cell and amniotic fluid-derived stem cells discovered and pioneered by Dr. Shay Soker and colleagues at WFIRM. We will examine the effect of ASC-101-treated amniotic fluid-derived stem cells in an experimental model of compartment syndrome. Compartment syndrome results from a variety of injuries such as fractures, contusions, burns, trauma, post-ischemic swelling and blast injuries such as gunshot wounds. If not addressed quickly, it can lead to considerable loss of muscle tissue. Musculoskeletal disorders are the primary cause of disability in the United States with associated costs of more than $800 billion annually. In addition to civilian injuries, more than 42,000 soldiers have been injured since the beginning of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars: the majority of these injuries were musculoskeletal in nature.

“The successful combination of ASC-101 with amniotic fluid-derived stem cells would be directly relevant to improving the treatment of muscle damage that occurs following compartment syndrome as well as multiple other types of injuries.”

America Stem Cell has demonstrated that ASC-101 enhances the ability of stem cells to migrate to their target tissue. While most companies are concerned with the type of cells used for cell therapy (i.e. the hardware), America Stem Cell addresses how to get the cells to go where they are needed most (i.e. the software). With this award, America Stem Cell will expand the potential for therapeutic application of ASC-101 with amniotic fluid-derived stem cells. According to Dr. Leonard Miller, the Co-Principal Investigator on the grant, "The successful combination of ASC-101 with amniotic fluid-derived stem cells would be directly relevant to improving the treatment of muscle damage that occurs following compartment syndrome as well as multiple other types of injuries."

Source America Stem Cell, Inc.