Mesoblast moves towards adult stem cell human trials
Related News: Heart / Cardio News, Stem Cell CompaniesAustralian adult stem cell company, Mesoblast Limited, announced, on March 30 2005, that it is set to begin the first human clinical trials using its specialist adult stem cells for orthopaedic and cardiovascular diseases.
Mesoblast Founder and Chief Scientific Advisor, Professor Silviu Itescu, said the human pilot trials would be one of the most significant steps undertaken by the company in proving its technology.
Professor Itescu said that he was delighted with the rapid progress being made by Mesoblast to commercialise its platform technology, and that Australia would be at the vanguard of this very exciting new medical therapy.
"There has been substantial interest from a number of the world's leading medical device and pharmaceutical companies with a view to both clinical collaboration and commercial relationship", he said in the first investor newsletter since Mesoblast's listing in December 2004.
"In contrast to embryonic stem cells, adult stem cells are not associated with ethical concerns. Furthermore, adult stem cells can be easily obtained from healthy adult bone marrow and many other sources. Importantly, they have not been associated with risk of cancer formation.
"Mesoblast's strong early achievements point to rapid delivery of our commercialisation program and progress towards obtaining Investigational New Drug (IND) approval from the FDA in a lead orthopaedic application within two years", he said.
Posted on March 31, 2005 07:50 PM