Farnham, UK, 30 March 2010: Biocompatibles International plc (LSE:BII) is pleased to announce the award of a €6.2M grant for the development of CellBeadsTM for the treatment of Cardiovascular Diseases.
The award has been made by the BioMedical Materials program (BMM), a public-private partnership subsidised by the Dutch government. The project was one of seven selected by BMM joint International Scientific Advisory Board. The Chair of the Board, Professor Bob Löwenberg, MD said, "it was a delight to be involved in the selection of such an excellent portfolio of research".
The grant recognises the collaboration between the four parties to the agreement - The Molecular Cardiology Laboratory at the Erasmus Medical Centre, Rotterdam; the University Medical Centre, Utrecht; CellMed, who developed the CellBeads products, and Biocompatibles UK who designed the cardiovascular programmes, the latter two being subsidiaries of Biocompatibles.
A comprehensive programme encompassing both AMI (acute myocardial infarction, or heart attack) and CHF (congestive heart failure) will determine optimal dose and optimal technique of bead delivery; long-term cell viability; GLP-1 expression; safety; bead distribution measured by imaging; and evaluation of additional cardioprotective therapeutic proteins. The project aims to deliver the data package to then enable First-In-Man studies in AMI and CHF.
The Principal Investigator for the CellBead Project, Professor Henricus Duckers of the Erasmus Medical Centre commented:
"The use of the CellBeads technology has great potential for the treatment of patients suffering from an acute myocardial infarction or congestive heart failure, due to the expression of potent cardioprotective factors over a sustained period of time. The administration of the CellBeads, as an off-the-shelf product, immediately following an AMI and the retention of significant numbers of encapsulated stem cells in the infarct zone, offers a practical treatment regime not currently available from other technologies."
Early work has already demonstrated the technical feasibility of the approach and the improvement in cardiac performance that is possible.
This grant builds upon the award of MRC1 research within the Cardiovascular Biology Group at the University of Manchester; and Technology Strategy Board funding at the Bristol Heart Institute, both aimed at evaluating the feasibility of CellBead technology in cardiovascular applications2.
Managing Director of Biocompatibles UK, Dr Peter Stratford, added:
"We congratulate our colleagues at CellMed on this endorsement of their technology. This grant enables us to build on the promising clinical progress we have made with CellBeads in the treatment of Stroke. This is a radical treatment for a major disease area and it is the aim of the project team that the first patient will be treated before the end of 2013."
Biocompatibles is providing support for the programme over the next three years, which will be reflected in the annual financial guidance, for which there is no change in respect of the current year.
1Medical Research Council
2An article on the CellBead technology is featured the March issue of the journal Regenerative Medicine, following its presentation late last year to the stem-cell community at the London Regenerative Medicine Network meeting, University College London.
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Contact:
Biocompatibles
Crispin Simon, Chief Executive
Ian Ardill, Finance Director |
+44 (0)1252 732706 |
Anna Keeble |
+44 (0)7879 818876 |
Biocompatibles International plc (www.biocompatibles.com)
Biocompatibles International plc
Biocompatibles International plc is a leading medical technology company in the field of drug-device combination products.
The Oncology Products Division supplies medical devices from facilities in Farnham, UK and Oxford, CT. These include Drug-Eluting Bead Products which are used in more than 40 countries for the treatment of primary liver cancer (HCC), liver metastases from colorectal cancer, and other cancers; and Brachytherapy products (Radiation-Delivering Seeds) which are used in the treatment of prostate cancer. Our distribution partners include AngioDynamics Inc., Terumo Corporation and Eisai Co. Ltd. We have a clinical collaboration agreement with Bayer Healthcare Pharmaceuticals Inc.
Our Licensing Division includes CellMed, in Alzenau, Germany, which is developing a Drug-Eluting Bead product for the treatment of stroke, based on proprietary stem cell technology; a GLP-1 analogue for the treatment of diabetes and obesity partnered with AstraZeneca; and a cosmetic Dermatology Bead partnered with Merz Pharmaceuticals GmbH. We also have a PC Licensing agreement with Medtronic Inc. in the field of Drug-Eluting Stents.
This news release contains forward-looking statements that reflect Biocompatibles’ current expectation regarding future events. Forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties. Actual events could differ materially from those projected herein and depend on a number of factors including the success of Biocompatibles’ research strategy, the applicability of the discoveries made therein, the successful and timely completion of clinical studies and the uncertainties related to the regulatory and commercialisation processes.
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