Notice of US Patent Grant

RNS Number : 9145U

ReNeuron Group plc

21 May 2008

 



ReNeuron receives notice of US patent grant covering generation of islet cells for ReN002 diabetes programme

Guildford, UK, 21 May 2008: ReNeuron Group plc (LSE: RENE.L) today announced that it has received a notification of grant from the US Patent and Trademark Office concerning a key patent covering the culturing and isolation of islet progenitor cells for use in its ReN002 programme focused on a cell therapy treatment for Type 1 diabetes. 

The patent, 'CD56 Positive Human Adult Pancreatic Endocrine Progenitor Cells' (No. 7,371,576), contains broad claims directed to methods of culturing and identifying living islet progenitor cells by way of expression of the CD56 cell surface marker.  The cells produced by this invention can be further proliferated in culture to increase cell number and then allowed to form islet cell clusters suitable for subsequent transplantation.  In its ReN002 programme, ReNeuron is currently researching a potential islet cell therapy for Type 1 diabetes patients, utilising expanded islet cells which are then enclosed in clinically-tested, immunoprotective capsules prior to transplantation.

ReNeuron has broad patent coverage across all of its stem cell technologies and products, having written or exclusively licensed over 55 issued patents and over 70 further patent applications. Of these, over 30 patents have issued in the key European and US territories.  

Dr John Sinden, Chief Scientific Officer of ReNeuron, said: 

'Islet cell transplantation represents a promising therapy for treating diabetes patients, but development has been hampered by the shortage of islets. Efforts have been made in the biotechnology industry to solve this issue by regenerating islets from proliferated islet progenitor cells. ReNeuron has made significant progress in this regard and the grant of this key patent represents an important layer of protection for our ReN002 programme to develop a proprietary cell therapy for Type 1 diabetes.'

Enquiries:

ReNeuron
Michael Hunt, Chief Executive Officer	Tel: [phone]
Dr John Sinden, Chief Scientific Officer

Financial Dynamics
Europe
David Yates	Tel: [phone]
Lara Mott
US
Robert Stanislaro	Tel : [phone]

Collins Stewart
Tim Mickley	Tel: [phone]

About ReNeuron

ReNeuron is a leading, UK-based stem cell therapy business. It is applying its novel stem cell platform technologies in the development of ground-breaking stem cell therapies to serve significant and unmet or poorly-met clinical needs.  

ReNeuron has used its proprietary, patented cell expansion technology to generate genetically stable neural stem cell lines. This technology platform has multi-national patent protection and is fully regulated by means of a chemically-induced safety switch. Cell growth can therefore be completely arrested prior to in vivo implantation.  ReNeuron's clinically-tested cell encapsulation technology provides a method of protecting cells when transplanted, as well as reducing or eliminating the host immune response that might otherwise occur post-transplantation.

ReNeuron has filed for approval to commence initial clinical studies with its lead ReN001 stem cell therapy for chronic stroke disability.  There are an estimated 50 million stroke survivors worldwide, approximately one half of which are left with permanent disabilities. The annual health and social costs of caring for these patients is estimated to be in excess of £5 billion in the UK and in excess of US$50 billion in the US.  In addition to its stroke programme, ReNeuron is developing stem cell therapies for Parkinson's disease, Huntington's disease, Type 1 diabetes and diseases of the retina.

ReNeuron has also leveraged its stem cell technologies into non-therapeutic areas - its ReNcell® range of cell lines for use in research and in drug discovery applications in the pharmaceutical industry. ReNeuron's ReNcell®CX and ReNcell®VM neural cell lines are marketed worldwide under license by Millipore Corporation.

ReNeuron's shares are traded on the London AIM market under the symbol RENE.L. Further information on ReNeuron and its products can be found at www.reneuron.com.

Data sources: UK Stroke Association; American Stroke Association.

This announcement contains forward-looking statements with respect to the financial condition, results of operations and business achievements/performance of ReNeuron and certain of the plans and objectives of management of ReNeuron with respect thereto. These statements may generally, but not always, be identified by the use of words such as 'should', 'expects', 'estimates', 'believes' or similar expressions. This announcement also contains forward-looking statements attributed to certain third parties relating to their estimates regarding the growth of markets and demand for products. By their nature, forward-looking statements involve risk and uncertainty because they reflect ReNeuron's current expectations and assumptions as to future events and circumstances that may not prove accurate. A number of factors could cause ReNeuron's actual financial condition, results of operations and business achievements/performance to differ materially from the estimates made or implied in such forward-looking statements and, accordingly, reliance should not be placed on such statements.

 

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