ReNeuron And VistaGen, Inc. Announce Broad Stem Cell Drug Discovery Alliance
a little old, but then the news on the Reneuron website hasn't been updated this year...
BURLINGAME, Calif., June 20 /PRNewswire/ -- ReNeuron Holdings plc (ReN.L), a leading British bio-pharmaceutical company focused on treatment of brain disorders, and VistaGen, Inc., a private U.S. biotechnology company developing a portfolio of in vitro stem cell technologies, announced today a broad strategic alliance to exploit the considerable commercial potential of their respective stem cell drug discovery and predictive screening platforms.
Initially, the companies will focus on the use of human neural stem cells from multiple regions of the brain and spinal cord. Disorders of the brain and central nervous system (CNS) are the most prevalent health care problems in the western world -- affecting approximately 100 million people. The alliance also will involve isolating human tissue-restricted stem cells from several different key anatomical regions important to drug development.
In exchange for an equity stake in VistaGen, ReNeuron will license to VistaGen exclusive worldwide rights, for in vitro predictive screening of drug candidates for toxicity and efficacy, to ReNeuron's stem cell technology and granted to VistaGen access to all of ReNeuron's human neuronal stem cells, ReNeuron also purchased VistaGen equity and licensed to VistaGen certain non-exclusive rights to ReNeuron's cell immortalization technology and cell lines for drug discovery. The parties will share revenues generated from VistaGen's commercial exploitation of these cells. In addition, in a jointly funded collaboration, ReNeuron will use its proprietary cell immortalizing technologies to develop stem cells from several different key anatomical regions. VistaGen's rights to these additional stem cells will be similar to those rights which it received concerning ReNeuron's human neural stem cells.
Dr Martin Edwards, Chief Executive Officer of ReNeuron, said: "The potential for stem cells in drug discovery is large and best exploited through this type of broad collaboration where each company brings a synergistic set of skills which can be applied rapidly to the drug discovery process. We look forward to a long and fruitful collaboration with VistaGen."
Dr Ralph Snodgrass, President and Chief Executive Officer of VistaGen, commented: "ReNeuron's human CNS-specific stem cells and technology will complement and expand our proprietary and clinically predictive in vitro stem cell technology platform, particularly our Genesis KnowledgeBase(TM), which correlates drug-response profiles with clinical responses. We are excited about the opportunity to work with ReNeuron's team of top quality scientists.
"Our ability to study drug responses on the identical human stem cells that will be used in clinical trials for treating numerous CNS disorders will significantly enhance the clinical relevance and predictivity of our discovery and predictive screening programs."
ReNeuron Holdings plc is a bio-pharmaceutical company developing stem cell therapies and proprietary treatments for neurological disorders. ReNeuron is the leading UK Company developing an innovative cell-transplantation technology that has the potential to treat brain damage following stroke, Alzheimer's disease and Parkinson's disease. ReNeuron's lead brain stem cell products are at the pre-clinical stage of development. ReNeuron is also collaborating both with other companies and with academic groups to explore the use of stem cells as a drug discovery platform from which novel genes, proteins and drug targets may be identified. To date, ReNeuron has focused on neural stem cells but the same technologies can be applied to develop non-neural cells for both transplantation and drug discovery. In addition, ReNeuron is developing a unique class of compounds, the Neurins. Phase II trials in neuropathic pain and inflammatory arthritis have just begun in the UK and Ireland on the lead compound ReN 1869.
VistaGen, Inc., a private biotechnology company located in Burlingame, California, USA, is one of the global leaders in the in vitro applications of stem cell technologies for drug discovery and development. VistaGen's portfolio of proprietary stem cell technologies and information products are beginning to be used in the pharmaceutical industry to accelerate drug development across several therapeutic areas in ways never previously possible. VistaGen's internal drug discovery and development programs will focus on cancer, cardiovascular disease and central nervous system disorders. Additional corporate information from VistaGen is available on the Internet at www.vistagen-inc.com.
For further information please contact:
Dr. Ralph Snodgrass, VistaGen, California, USA
Tel: 1-650-558-9500
Email: information@vistagen-inc.com
Dr. Martin Edwards, ReNeuron, Surrey, UK
Tel: 011-44-1483-302560
Anna Rainbow, Smithfield Financial, London, UK
Tel: 011-44-20-7360-4900
Louise Blakeborough or Katharine Young, Radius Healthcare, Surrey, UK
Tel: 011-44-1932-350006
Fax: 011-44-1932-353336 |
