ALAMEDA, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--
BioTime, Inc. (NYSE American: BTX), a clinical stage biotechnology company focused on developing and commercializing products addressing degenerative diseases, and its subsidiaries, today announced the successful conclusion of the challenge to two key patents before the European Patent Office Opposition division. As previously announced on March 28, 2017, the patents were upheld during the opposition proceeding and today we announce the successful conclusion of the appeals. The two European patents (EP2554661 and EP2147094), cover the proprietary directed differentiation methods to produce pluripotent stem cell-derived cell replacement therapies being developed to treat retinal degenerative diseases such as age-related macular degeneration (AMD).
About OpRegen®
OpRegen®, which is being studied for the treatment of the dry form of AMD, consists of a suspension of Retinal Pigment Epithelial (RPE) cells that are delivered subretinally during a simple intraocular injection. RPE cells are essential components of the back lining of the retina, and function to help nourish the retina including photoreceptors. A proprietary process that drives the differentiation of human pluripotent stem cells is used to generate high purity OpRegen® RPE cells. OpRegen® RPE cells are also “xeno-free," meaning that no animal products are used at any point in the derivation and production process. The avoidance of the use of animal products eliminates some potential safety concerns. Preclinical studies in rats have shown that following a single subretinal injection of OpRegen®, the cells can rapidly organize into its natural monolayer structure in the subretinal space and survive throughout the lifetime of the animal. OpRegen® is designed to be an “off-the-shelf” allogeneic (non-patient specific) product. Unlike treatments that require multiple, frequent injections into the eye, it is expected that OpRegen® would be administered in a single procedure. OpRegen® was granted Fast Track designation from the FDA, which allows more frequent interactions with the agency, and eligibility for accelerated approval and priority review. OpRegen® is a registered trademark of Cell Cure Neurosciences Ltd., a majority-owned subsidiary of BioTime, Inc.
About BioTime, Inc.
BioTime, and its subsidiaries including Cell Cure Neurosciences Ltd., are a clinical-stage biotechnology company focused on developing and commercializing products addressing degenerative diseases. The Company’s current clinical programs are targeting three primary sectors, aesthetics, ophthalmology and cell/drug delivery. Its clinical programs are based on two platform technologies: pluripotent cells and cell/drug delivery. The foundation of BioTime’s core therapeutic technology platform is pluripotent cells that are capable of becoming any of the cell types in the human body. The foundation of the Company’s cell delivery platform is its HyStem® cell and drug delivery matrix technology. BioTime also has significant equity holdings in two publicly traded companies, Asterias Biotherapeutics, Inc. and OncoCyte Corporation, and one private company, AgeX Therapeutics.
BioTime common stock is traded on the NYSE American and TASE under the symbol BTX. For more information, please visit www.biotimeinc.com or connect with the company on Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook, YouTube, and Google+.
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