Medistem Publishes Positive Preclinical Data On Menstrual Derived Stem Cells

Main Category: Stem Cell Research
Article Date: 20 Aug 2008 - 2:00 PDT

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Medistem Laboratories (OTCBB: MEDS) reported positive efficacy data supporting development of its lead product, the Endometrial Regenerative Cell (ERC) for treatment of an advanced form of peripheral artery disease known as critical limb ischemia.

In the peer reviewed publication, a collaborative team supported by Medistem reported that administration of ERC preserved leg function and viability in animals induced to mimic the human condition of critical limb ischemia. Additionally, the paper provided mechanistic support for why the ERC inhibit inflammation and can be used without the need for immunological matching with recipient tissue. A copy of the publication may be found at http://www.translational-medicine.com/content/6/1/45.

"As a physician to sufferers of critical limb ischemia, I am extremely proud to be involved in developing therapeutic applications using the ERC cell. If approved by the FDA, we may one day provide this patient population with an option to amputation," said Dr. Michael Murphy, a Harvard trained vascular surgeon at Indiana University who is the lead author of the publication. He continued, "Since the normal function of the ERC in a woman's body is to generate new blood vessels on a monthly basis, it is logical that these cells would generate new blood vessels in limbs that suffer from poor circulation, and our current studies support this."

Medistem has been collaborating with Dr Murphy's team in the area of therapeutic angiogenesis for more than one and a half years.

"Given that Dr. Murphy has experience with therapeutic applications for stem cells in critical limb ischemia, we are honored to have him lead these studies, which will be a key component in an upcoming submission to the FDA," said Thomas Ichim, CEO of Medistem.

Medistem's discovery of the Endometrial Regenerative Cell was announced in November 2007, in which the company demonstrated ability of the cells to become 9 different tissues: heart, lung, liver, pancreas, blood vessels, brain, muscle, bone, and fat. The company won the "Publication of the Year in Medicine" for 2007 from Biomed Central, a publisher of more than 200 peer reviewed journals. Medistem has filed patents covering these cells and various uses.

About Medistem Inc.

Medistem Inc. is a biotechnology company founded to develop and commercialize technologies related to adult stem cell extraction, manipulation, and use for treating inflammatory and degenerative diseases. The company's lead product, the endometrial regenerative cell (ERC), is a "universal donor" stem cell derived from the menstrual blood that possesses the ability to differentiate into nine tissue types, produce large quantities of growth factors, and a large proliferative capacity. A peer reviewed publication describing this novel cell type may be found at http://www.translational-medicine.com/content/5/1/57. The company is currently focusing on use of endometrial regenerative cells for treatment of critical limb ischemia, an advanced form of peripheral artery disease that causes approximately 160,000 amputations per year.

Cautionary Statement

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Factors which may cause actual results to differ from our forward-looking statements are discussed in our Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2007 as filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Medistem Inc.