Blog | BioInformant

Why is Healthy Donor Tissue So Important for Cell and Gene Therapies?

June 27, 2019 By Cade Hildreth (CEO) Leave a Comment

Brad Taylor, PhD and Dominic Clarke, PhD
HemaCare Corporation 8500 Balboa Boulevard Suite 130 Northridge CA 91325

INTRODUCTION

Public discourse on cell and gene therapy is focused on novel approaches to long-established procedures such as bone marrow transplants, as well as on truly innovative treatments such as cancer immunotherapy and stem cell therapy for autoimmune disorders and other serious ailments. Positive clinical trial results and the demonstrated success of advanced therapies such as Kymriah® and Yescarta® are fueling a sense of excitement on what could be accomplished with these medicines—and driving a significant increase in the number of cell therapies in the clinical trial pipeline. As of last year, there were nearly 300 different cell and gene therapies in development, and that number is on target to grow.[1] [Read more…]

Qrons Appoints Veteran U.S. Based Biotech Executive Dr. John N. Bonfiglio to Lead IND and Capital Markets Related Activities

June 27, 2019 By Cade Hildreth (CEO) Leave a Comment

New York, NY, June 27, 2019 — Qrons Inc. (OTC: QRON), an emerging biotechnology company developing advanced stem cell-synthetic hydrogel-based solutions for the treatment of traumatic brain injuries (“TBIs”), including concussions and penetrating injuries, announced today the appointment of John N. Bonfiglio, PhD, MBA as its Chief Operating Officer. Qrons Inc. (OTC: QRON)

Dr. Bonfiglio’s primary responsibility will be to oversee all investigational new drug (“IND”) activities in the United States in coordination with Qrons’ Israeli-based scientific team. [Read more…]

Development of iPSC-derived Disease Models

June 26, 2019 By Cade Hildreth (CEO) Leave a Comment

Human induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC)-based models are a valuable resource for studying disease mechanisms in vitro at the cellular level^[1], screening potential new therapeutics^[2], and investigating the propensity and mechanism for the development of toxic side effects caused by a drug treatment^[3]. Such iPSC-based models enable research to be performed under defined experimental conditions and in a reproducible manner. [Read more…]

Hemostemix. The Canadian Biotech that Could Change Healthcare as We Know It.

June 25, 2019 By Cade Hildreth (CEO) 2 Comments

Hemostemix Inc. (“Hemostemix”) (TSX Venture:HEM; OTCQB:HMTXF) is a publicly traded clinical-stage biotech company that develops and commercializes blood-derived stem cell therapies for medical conditions lacking adequate treatment options. Importantly, it is one of the first clinical-stage biotech companies to test a stem cell therapy within an international, multi-center Phase II clinical trial for patients with critical limb ischemia (“CLI”). CLI is a severe form of peripheral artery disease (“PAD”) that is caused by reduced blood flow to the extremities. After showing promising results in a Phase I trial and with a large number of historical patient treatments performed in open trials, Hemostemix’s Phase II trial targets a participant’s diseased tissue with proprietary cells grown from his or her blood that can support the formation of new blood vessels. This lead cell therapy product is called ACP-01. [Read more…]

Mesoblast’s Mesenchymal Precursor Cell (MPC) Therapy Receives Orphan Drug Designation

June 24, 2019 By Cade Hildreth (CEO) Leave a Comment

Mesoblast (ASX:MSB; Nasdaq: MESO) announced that the U.S. FDA granted the company’s product candidate, Revascor, Orphan Drug Designation for prevention of gastrointestinal bleeding in patients with left ventricular assist devices.