BioTime Expands Ophthalmology Portfolio With Global In-Licensing Agreement for Next-Generation Retinal Disease Therapy From University of Pittsburgh Medical Center
BusinessWire
BioTime, Inc. (NYSE MKT:BTX), a clinical-stage biotechnology company developing and commercializing products addressing degenerative diseases, today announced the acquisition of global rights to ophthalmology-related intellectual property (IP) assets from the University of Pittsburgh's Medical Center (UPMC), via the school's Innovation Institute. The technology was developed in part in collaboration with BioTime scientists and includes composition and methodologies to develop 3-D retinal tissue derived from human pluripotent stem cells for implantation in patients with advanced stages of retinal degeneration.
"This significant addition to our expanding portfolio is a major step toward our goal of becoming an industry leader in regenerative opthalmology innovation," commented Adi Mohanty, Co-Chief Executive Officer of BioTime. "These assets enable us to develop treatments for advanced forms of blindness for which there are currently no treatments available. We intend to build a strong franchise for serious forms of eye disease."
"We anticipate that this technology, co-developed with the UPMC lab for retinal repair and epigenetics, will allow us to generate three-dimensional laminated human retinal tissue in a controlled manufacturing process. This could lead to vision restoration treatments for a variety of blinding retinal degenerative diseases, particularly retinitis pigmentosa, macular degeneration, and diabetic retinopathy, among other diseases and conditions," said Michael D. West, PhD, Co-Chief Executive Officer of BioTime.
Key aspects of the technology are described in three presentations at the annual meeting of the Society for Neuroscience, November 12-16, 2016, in San Diego, California, by Dr. Igor Nasonkin, lab head at BioTime, and one upcoming presentation at the International Society for Stem Cell Research (ISSCR) Congress in Basel, Switzerland, February 27-March 1.
About BioTime
BioTime, Inc. is a clinical-stage biotechnology company focused on developing and commercializing novel therapies developed from what the company believes to be the world's premier collection of pluripotent cell assets. The foundation of BioTime's core therapeutic technology platform is pluripotent cells that are capable of becoming any of the cell types in the human body. Pluripotent cells have potential application in many areas of medicine with large unmet patient needs, including various age-related degenerative diseases and degenerative conditions for which there presently are no cures. Unlike pharmaceuticals that require a molecular target, therapeutic strategies based on the use of pluripotent cells are generally aimed at regenerating or replacing affected cells and tissues, and therefore may have broader applicability than pharmaceutical products.
In addition to the development of therapeutics, BioTime's research and other activities have resulted, over time, in the creation of other subsidiaries that address other non-therapeutic market opportunities such as cancer diagnostics, drug development and cell research products, and mobile health software applications.
BioTime common stock is traded on the NYSE MKT and TASE under the symbol BTX. For more information, please visit www.biotimeinc.com or connect with the company on Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook, YouTube, and Google+.
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