Cures for Human Diseases and Clinical Targets

 

Stemnion’s research and development of unique amnion-derived multipotent progenitor cell populations holds great promise for regenerative medicine and therapeutic cell transplantation.

 

Wound Repair

Stemnion is working with leading clinical and research scientists specializing in wound healing to develop therapies that use amnion-derived multipotent progenitor cells and/or their products in the treatment of damaged tissues. The amnion-derived multipotent progenitor cells exhibit a unique combination of properties known to be associated with wound healing including extensive cell proliferation potential, differentiation into multiple cell types, and secretion of cytokines and many growth factors.

 

Neurotrauma

Survival following brain trauma is frequently associated with severe, permanent disabilities, including paralysis, seizures and learning/memory impairments. Transplanted cells may produce growth factors and cytokines that can enhance the survival of injured neurons, and potentially replace lost neurons. If successful, neural stem cell therapy could significantly revolutionize the concept of brain injury treatment.

Stemnion is collaborating with the Walter Reed Army Institute of Research to assess the neuroprotective and neurorestorative effect of amnion-derived multipotent progenitor cells after militarily relevant traumatic brain injury.

 

Diabetes

Amnion-derived multipotent progenitor cells represent a potentially abundant source of cells for the generation of pancreatic islets, the cells responsible for producing insulin and controlling blood sugar levels. A diabetic patient can be administered insulin to aid in the control of their blood sugar levels. However, the long-term complications that result from the loss of precise hormonal control of pancreatic insulin secretion can not presently be prevented using this therapy.

Type 1 diabetes develops when the body’s immune system destroys the pancreatic islet’s insulin-producing cells, rendering the Type I diabetic unable to control his or her blood sugar levels.

In recent years, islet transplantation has been shown to eliminate or substantially reduce the need for insulin injections to control blood sugar levels in Type 1 diabetics. As of mid-2005, over 500 patients have received islet transplantations around the world. Most have not required insulin injections for a year or more, although the percentage of insulin-independent patients begins to decrease after the third year.

The need for clinical grade islets for transplantation far exceeds current supply because islet cells are currently available only from the pancreatic tissue derived from human cadaver donors. In 2005, 1,700 donor pancreases were available in the U.S., of which 460 were used for whole organ transplantation. Since islet cells from two donors are generally required for each islet transplantation procedure, there were only enough islet cells in the U.S. for hundreds of procedures per year while there are over 1 million type 1 diabetic patients.

The Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation recently awarded Stemnion a two-year grant from the foundation’s Industry Discovery and Development Partnership Program. The grant is to support Stemnion’s research to determine if amnion-derived multipotent progenitor cells can differentiate into insulin-producing cells.

The National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, a division of the National Institutes of Health, recently awarded Stemnion a Phase I SBIR grant to support Stemnion’s research in pancreatic islet cell production.