BioTime Receives New Regenerative Medicine Patents

BioTime has received 14 new patents worldwide, two of which have significant orthopedic applications. The patents cover a range of the company’s and its subsidiaries’ core technologies, and exist in the field of pluripotent stem cell technology for human therapeutic application, otherwise known as regenerative medicine.

Pluripotent stem cells are cells capable of indefinite expansion and then differentiation into any of the cell types in the human body. Examples of pluripotent stem cells are human embryonic stem cells (HES) and induced pluripotent stem (IPS) cells. These stem cells potentially offer a new technology platform for the manufacture of a wide array of cell types designed to be transplanted into the body to restore healthy tissue function.

“BioTime and its subsidiaries are focused on developing and commercializing a broad portfolio of innovative cellular therapeutics and diagnostic products, while also continuing to build value in other ways, such as through the addition of new patents to our industry-leading intellectual property estate,” said Michael D. West, Ph.D., CEO of BioTime. “We are making significant strides in patenting our core platform of pluripotent stem cell technology and strengthening our competitive position in regenerative medicine. For the first time in history, pluripotent stem cells offer a means of manufacturing previously rare and valuable human cell types in a cost-effective manner and on an industrial scale. We plan to utilize our strengthened patent position to drive value for our shareholders as the field of regenerative medicine begins to address the large and growing markets associated with chronic and age-related degenerative disease.”

Canada patent 2468335 describes cartilage-forming cells derived from human pluripotent stem cells such as HES cells. The claims in the patent relate to a system of making the cartilage-forming cells using factors of the transforming growth factor beta (TGF-beta) family, of immortalizing the cells with the human telomerase gene, pharmaceutical formulations of the cells for therapeutic use in arthritis, as well as other claims. So, the patent is useful for the manufacture of such cells for use in research and potentially in therapy for a number of applications in orthopedic medicine. Patents in the same family have previously issued in the United States, Australia, Singapore, Israel and South Korea, with additional applications pending.

Singapore patent 177694 is titled, “Methods and Compositions for in vitro and in vivo Chondrogenesis,” and claims methods for the manufacture of cartilage from certain of BioTime’s Purestem cell lines, methods for combining the cells with matrices, and molding the cartilage to produced formed tissue. The patent is potentially useful for BioTime’s subsidiary OrthoCyte Corporation in the manufacture of human cartilage grafts for the repair of orthopedic disorders such as arthritis and degeneration of the intervertebral disc. A patent in the same family has previously issued in the United States, with additional applications pending.