Tissue Therapies Pty Ltd

  Overview

Tissue Therapies intends to acquire the right people, technology and cash resources to become a valuable research cell growth reagent and autologous cell therapies company by delivering growth enhancing factors to cells and tissues via the protein vitronectin. Based on this VitroGro™ technology, developed by the technical founder Dr Zee Upton at Queensland University of Technology (QUT), Tissue Therapies seeks to exploit profitable markets via an exclusive technology licence from QUT to commercialise in global markets.

Tissue Therapies has exclusive rights to four patents pending which describe the use of novel growth factor complexes and chimeric proteins. This intellectual property can be applied to a range of product development opportunities and market-directed milestone-driven research and development can reduce risk.

Tissue Therapies intends to commercialise VitroGro™ on a defined milestone driven timeline as follows -

• VitroGro™ reagents 1and 2, bottled reagents and coated plates,
• VitroGro™ beads for commercial cell culture,
• VitroGro™ Spray for delivery of autologous cells therapy,
• VitroGro™ coated implants.

Tissue Therapies has also licensed a new cell proliferation drug target from QUT in order to add significant value before licensing to a global partner.

  Competitive Advantages

Tissue Therapies founders, Zee Upton, David Leavesley and Damian Harkin, have significant R&D expertise in cell growth and proliferation. Greg Baynton has significant early stage management and capital raising skills as CEO of Orbit Capital. His CV is at http://orbitcapital.com.au. Russell Richards as past General Manager at Agenix has wide regulatory, manufacturing, business and marketing experience. A significant focus is successful prosecution of the IP portfolio. Tissue Therapies understands that secure IP rights substantially reduce the competitive risk.

  Technology

Studies investigating the functional significance of the interaction of insulin-like growth factors (IGFs) with vitronectin (VN) have revealed that VitroGro™ complexes stimulate enhanced cell migration and proliferation in a range of cell types including human osteoblasts, as well as in skin and corneal epithelial cell lines. Importantly, studies in primary cultures of keratinocytes derived from adult skin and cornea have further validated these findings.

Ex vivo expansion of keratinocytes in the presence of promotes cell proliferation and migration. Moreover, VitroGro™ enables skin keratinocytes to be expanded without the use of animal products or feeder cell lines, with growth superior to current best clinical practice.

This has led to the hypothesis that VN acts to deliver IGFs at the cell surface, enhancing the ability of the IGFs to access their biological receptor, the type-1 IGF receptor. Moreover the QUT team has established that co-activation of both the type-1 IGF receptor and VN-binding integrins, the alpha-v integrins, is required to obtain maximal effects. Recognition of the key importance of this and the realisation that this phenomenon could be exploited as a biological system to deliver growth factors in situations where cell proliferation and migration is wanted, such as in wound healing and tissue replacement therapies, led the investigators to protect their discovery of complexes containing IGF +/- IGF-Binding Proteins and VN. In particular, the investigators believe the use of VitroGro™ complexes will be especially beneficial for the healing of diabetic ulcers and in other situations where the wound repair process is delayed or tissue regeneration is required.

  Corporate Alliances/Partnerships

The technical founders work closely with: the Queensland Skin Bank at the Australian Red Cross Blood Service; Royal Brisbane Hospital; Princess Alexandra Hospital Dept. of Diabetes and Endocrinology; Prince Charles Hospital Orthopaedic Division; Professor Rob Baxter at the Kolling Research Institute; and Professor David Clemmons, University of New Carolina Chapel Hill. The R&D program at Tissue Therapies will focus on resolving a problem where commercial success is tied to a solution defined by market pressures.

Partnering Opportunities

VitroGro™ offers potential advantages in distinct markets -

• mammalian cell culture for research – VitroGro™ reagents 1 and 2, bottled reagents and coated plates
• manufacture of therapeutic proteins by mammalian cell culture - VitroGro™ beads
• autologous cell therapies as treatments for burns, ulcers and surgical wounds - VitroGro™ Spray
• implants requiring the initiation of cell migration and proliferation - VitroGro™ coated implants

Mammalian cell culture for research demands the production of a range of robust mammalian cells for research purposes. Tissue culture bead surface coated with VitroGro™ will offer advantages over existing serum-based culture media. Cell culture is also an established global manufacturing technique in the biotechnology industry. Today, regulatory requirements demand limited cell exposure to animal based products while maximising recombinant therapeutic protein yields. VitroGro™ made with recombinant proteins and in combination with standard cell culture media, promotes cell proliferation and migration and may improve protein yields significantly.

The facilitation of wound healing requires the presence of skin cells, growth factors to enhance migration and proliferation of these cells and scaffolds to support them when required. VitroGro™ has already been shown to augment the activity of in situ cells and may also assist the culture of patient autologous cells in animal product-free media where this is required for burns patients.

Partnering Needs

As part of its development program Tissue Therapies seeks international collaborative alliances in the above areas.

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