Making blood vessels from stem cells

A new licensing agreement between The University of Queensland (UQ) and US start-up company AngioStem could see patients suffering from heart failure, peripheral artery disease or stroke benefit from stem cell-based treatment in the future.

The agreement will give AngioStem intellectual property rights relating to UQ research which has found a method for extracting large quantities of specialised stem cells from the placenta. The stem cells are believed to play a role in successful pregnancy by creating new blood vessels that lead to formation and function of the placenta.

The technique for harvesting the cells from the placenta was co-invented by UQ Associate Professor Kiarash Khosrotehrani and Dr Jatin Patel, a postdoctoral researcher in his team. According to Associate Professor Khosrotehrani, it was not possible to isolate placental stem cells in sufficient quantities for use in treatments prior to this research.

AngioStem plans to use the unique ability of the placentally derived stem cells to recreate new blood vessels in areas of the body that are lacking blood flow. The creation of new blood vessels, termed ‘angiogenesis’, is anticipated to be beneficial for patients suffering from heart failure, peripheral artery disease and post-stroke mental impairments.

“We are eager to collaborate with AngioStem in bringing these promising cells to patients suffering from conditions such as peripheral artery disease, for which no curative measures currently exist,” Associate Professor Khosrotehrani said.

“AngioStem has demonstrated experience in developing similar treatments as it specialises in angiogenesis techniques.”

AngioStem President and CEO Dr Thomas Ichim, who has followed Associate Professor Khosrotehrani’s work for more than a decade, said he looks forward to “working with Kiarash and his team to accelerate the clinical development of this exciting application of placental stem cells”.

“In contrast to other stem cell approaches, the current cells can be easily obtained and expanded to therapeutic numbers in an economical manner,” Dr Ichim said. “We believe this, combined with superior efficacy, will differentiate AngioStem from other companies in the field.”

UQ’s main commercialisation company, UniQuest, will receive patent royalties and milestone payments linked to the clinical development of the technique.

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