Kadimastem Granted a Patent in Israel for the Directed Differentiation of Astrocytes from Human Pluripotent Stem Cells (AstroRx®) for use in Drug Screening and the Treatment of ALS
NESS ZIONA, Israel, March 9, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Kadimastem Ltd. (TASE: KDST), a clinical stage cell therapy company, announced that it has been granted a patent by The Israel Patent Office for its differentiated human astrocytes from human pluripotent stem cells for use in the treatment and drug screening of Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS).
Specifically, the patent allows for the innovative method of non-genetically modifying a cell population of human progenitor astrocytes or astrocytes, for use in the treatment or prevention of the progression of ALS in a human subject in need and screening an agent for preventing or treating Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) by using this cell population.
Kadimastem's flagship product, AstroRx®, is comprised of a differentiated cell population of human astrocytes derived from human pluripotent stem cells and is in clinical development as a therapeutic treatment for ALS. Kadimastem recently announced encouraging results of the Cohort B of its Phase 1/2a Clinical Trial of AstroRx® for ALS. See press release here.
The technology was first initiated at the Weizmann Institute of Science while Professor Michel Revel, the co-founder of Kadimastem, was a principal investigator there. It continues to be developed by the experienced and dedicated team in the laboratories of Kadimastem, where Professor Revel serves as the Chief Scientific Officer.
Kadimastem CEO Asaf Shiloni said, "The patent granted by the Israel Patent Office is a significant step forward towards bringing AstroRx® to market for the benefit of ALS patients worldwide. We aim to have a pre-IND meeting with the US FDA in the near future, with the goal of setting in motion the next stage of clinical trials as soon as possible. In the meantime, we shall continue our groundbreaking research and development programs for both our ALS and diabetes products."
Kadimastem Chief Scientific Officer Professor Michel Revel added, "Israel is an important market for research and development and for setting international medical standards and precedent. Today's patent is an important milestone that supports producing the cells for AstroRx® in Israel for use worldwide."
Kadimastem is a clinical stage cell therapy company, developing and manufacturing "off-the-shelf", allogeneic, proprietary cell products based on its technology platform for the expansion and differentiation of Human Embryonic Stem Cells (hESCs) into functional cells. AstroRx®, the Company's lead product, is an astrocyte cell therapy in clinical development as a treatment for ALS. IsletRx is the Company's second product in development. IsletRx is comprised of functional pancreatic islet cells intended to treat patients with insulin dependent diabetes. IsletRx demonstrated safety and efficacy in a proof-of-concept preclinical study. Kadimastem was founded by Professor Michel Revel, CSO of the Company and Professor Emeritus of Molecular Genetics at the Weizmann Institute of Science. Professor Revel received the Israel Prize for the invention and development of Rebif®, a multiple sclerosis blockbuster drug sold worldwide. Kadimastem is traded on the Tel Aviv Stock Exchange (TASE: KDST).
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