Cell therapy weekly: Stem cell therapy improves osteoarthritis quality of life by 290%
This week: Novo Holdings to invest £53.5 million in Oxford Biomedica plc and new collaboration takes aim at manufacturing scalability.
The news highlights:
Stem cell therapy could improve osteoarthritis quality of life by 290%
Novo Holdings to invest £53.5 million in Oxford Biomedica plc
New collaboration takes aim at manufacturing scalability
Stem cell therapy could improve osteoarthritis quality of life by 290%
Results of a clinical trial, recently published in Regenerative Medicine, have indicated that stem cell therapy could improve the quality of life of patients with osteoarthritis by more than 290%. In this trial, there was statistically and clinically significant improvements in pain and function in 85% of patients, and significantly greater pain improvements compared with existing treatments. There was also some evidence of cartilage regrowth.
“This is the largest published trial of its type on the benefits of stem-cell therapy and osteoarthritis. It validates stem cell therapy as a real treatment option,” said Julien Freitag, Principle Clinical Investigator, commenting in a press release. “Research-based stem cell treatment should not, however, replace effective lifestyle-focused, conservative treatment. Stem cell therapy may be one piece of the puzzle in the management of arthritis but it does not replace the proactive measures which can be achieved by patients themselves.”
Novo Holdings to invest £53.5 million in Oxford Biomedica plc
Novo Holdings (Hellerup, Denmark) to invest £53.5 million in Oxford Biomedica plc (Oxford, UK) to further develop their proprietary LentiVector® platform. The investment represents 6,568,024 shares, with the option for Novo to subscribe to a further 1,181,976 shares.
Robert Ghenchev, Director, Novo Holdings, commented, “Oxford Biomedica is a global scientific and manufacturing leader within lentiviral vectors, one of the most established and well-validated technologies for delivering gene and cell therapies. This investment underscores Novo Holdings’ commitment to supporting companies developing cutting-edge science that makes a real difference to patients and society. We are genuinely excited about this investment and look forward to working with Oxford Biomedica and supporting the Group going forward.”
New collaboration takes aim at manufacturing scalability
Thermo Fisher Scientific (MA, USA) and Scinogy (VIC, Australia) have announced they will collaborate to develop closed, modular, automated to improve cell therapy manufacturing productivity and scalability. The initial results from the collaboration will be unveiled at ISCT 2019 (May 29—June 1, Melbourne, Australia) in the form of the new Gibco CTS Rotea Counterflow Centrifugation System.
“The cell therapy industry is expanding steadily, and Thermo Fisher Scientific is committed to empowering developers to accelerate the time between R&D to full-scale manufacturing and commercialization,” said Amy Butler, vice president and general manager of cell biology at Thermo Fisher Scientific. “The team at Scinogy has an impressive track record of developing manufacturing systems that deliver high-quality, affordable cell and gene therapies, ultimately helping increase access to life-saving therapies around the world.”
For more weekly cell therapy news, read previous editions of the cell therapy weekly.