Industry updates with Dusko Ilic: October 2021
Read highlights from the latest installment of Dusko Ilic’s industry news, which discuss the latest developments and news in regenerative medicine and stem cell research, and are published every month in Regenerative Medicine.
Every month, Dusko comments on regenerative medicine industry news of note. Read the full update for October 2021 in Regenerative Medicine here >>>
What happened this month that you were expecting?
Takeda to Acquire GammaDelta Therapeutics
The news did not come as a surprise. It was only a matter of time when Takeda Pharmaceutical will exercise its option to acquire GammaDelta Therapeutics a company focused on exploiting the unique properties of gamma delta (γδ) T cells for immunotherapy. The Company has developed proprietary technologies to generate both blood-and tissue-derived allogeneic immunotherapies based on Vδ1 γδ T cells for the treatment of hematological malignancies and solid tumors. Both platforms have enabled the creation of non-engineered and genetically engineered allogeneic cell therapies, which demonstrate cellular activity and tumor cell killing capacity in pre-clinical models.
What happened that surprised you this month?
Horsetalk
A clone stallion Arko III, who was the No.1 show jumper in Europe in 2004, 2005 and 2006, has been born in the UK in August 2021. Arko III died in January 2021 at the age of 27. The clone was generated from skin biopsy preserved by Gemini Genetics. ViaGen Pets & Equine have completed the cloning process.
If we only read about one story this month, what should it be?
Transplant of a genetically engineered, nonhuman kidney to a human body
Although the story is from an academic institution, it is worth of mentioning here. A team at New York University Langone Health has performed the first investigational transplant of a genetically engineered, nonhuman kidney to a human body. This is milestone procedure marks extraordinary progress in potentially using an alternative supply of organs for people who need lifesaving transplants. The kidney came from a pig that had been genetically modified to stop the organ being recognized by the body as “foreign” and being rejected. The surgeons connected the donor pig kidney to the blood vessels of the brain-dead recipient to see if it would function normally or be rejected. The surgeons transplanted a bit of the pig’s thymus gland too, along with the kidney. They think this organ might help stop the human body rejecting the kidney in the long term by mopping up any stray immune cells that might otherwise fight the pig tissue. The work is not yet peer-reviewed or published but there are plans for this. Experts say it is the most advanced experiment in the field so far. Similar tests have been done in non-human primates, but not people, until now.
Read the full industry update for October 2021 >>>
Dr Dusko Ilic
Dusko Ilic is a Senior Lecturer in stem cell science, coordinator of the cross-divisional postgraduate program in stem cells and regenerative medicine, and Head of the Induced Pluripotent Stem Cell Core Facility at King’s College London (London, UK). He is also Head of the Assisted Conception Unit’s Human Embryonic Laboratories at Guy’s Hospital (London, UK). He is also a member of the editorial board of the journal Regenerative Medicine, where he writes the Industry Report, a regular feature compiling information from non-academic institutions in the field of stem cells and regenerative medicine.
