CAMBRIDGE, Mass., Feb. 15, 2012 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Pathfinder Cell Therapy, Inc. ("Pathfinder," or "the Company") (OTCQB:PFND), a biotechnology company focused on the treatment of diseases characterized by organ-specific cell damage, today announced that the European Patent Office (EPO) has communicated its intent to grant Pathfinder's first European Patent, EP1896571, which provides intellectual property protection for the Company's cell-based technology throughout this region. The patent covers the Company's proprietary Pathfinder Cells ("PCs"), which are a newly identified non-stem cell mammalian cell type that has demonstrated the ability to stimulate regeneration of local damaged tissue without being incorporated into the new tissue.
PCs are being developed by Pathfinder for the treatment of a number of important human diseases and have demonstrated encouraging preclinical results to date, including the ability to completely reverse diabetes in a mouse model (results published in Rejuvenation Research, April 20101). European Patent EP1896571 includes composition of matter claims for the Company's proprietary PCs, as well as methods of use relating to cell-based therapies, specifically for the treatment of diabetes.
Richard L. Franklin, M.D., Ph.D., Founder, CEO and President of Pathfinder said, "We are pleased to report the allowance of this critical patent in Europe, which protects our core Pathfinder Cell technology. Cell-based therapy using PCs may represent a unique approach to the treatment of diabetes and other diseases where regenerating damaged local tissue may restore normal organ function. We will continue to grow our international patent estate as we work to bring our innovative therapy to patients in need."
About Pathfinder
Pathfinder is developing a novel cell-based therapy and has generated encouraging preclinical data in models of diabetes, renal disease, myocardial infarction, and critical limb ischemia, a severe form of peripheral vascular disease. Leveraging its internal discovery of Pathfinder Cells ("PCs") Pathfinder is pioneering a new field in regenerative medicine.
PCs are a newly identified mammalian cell type present in very low quantities in a variety of organs, including the kidney, liver, pancreas, lymph nodes, myometrium, bone marrow and blood. Early studies indicate that PCs stimulate regeneration of damaged tissues without the cells themselves being incorporated into the newly generated tissue. Based on testing to date, the cells appear to be "immune privileged," and their effects appear to be independent of the tissue source of PCs. For more information please visit: www.pathfindercelltherapy.com.
1Karen Stevenson, Daxin Chen, Alan MacIntyre, Liane M McGlynn, Paul Montague, Rawiya Charif, Murali Subramaniam, W.D. George, Anthony P. Payne, R. Wayne Davies, Anthony Dorling, and Paul G. Shiels. Rejuvenation Research. April 2011, 14(2): 163-171. doi:10.1089/rej.2010.1099
FORWARD LOOKING STATEMENTS
This press release contains forward-looking statements. You should be aware that our actual results could differ materially from those contained in the forward-looking statements, which are based on management's current expectations and are subject to a number of risks and uncertainties, including, but not limited to, our inability to obtain additional required financing; costs and delays in the development and/or FDA approval, or the failure to obtain such approval, of our product candidates; uncertainties or differences in interpretation in clinical trial results, if any; our inability to maintain or enter into, and the risks resulting from our dependence upon, collaboration or contractual arrangements necessary for the development, manufacture, commercialization, marketing, sales and distribution of any products; competitive factors; our inability to protect our patents or proprietary rights and obtain necessary rights to third party patents and intellectual property to operate our business; our inability to operate our business without infringing the patents and proprietary rights of others; general economic conditions; the failure of any products to gain market acceptance; technological changes; and government regulation. We do not intend to update any of these factors or to publicly announce the results of any revisions to these forward-looking statements.