HOUSTON, TX / ACCESSWIRE / October 23, 2019 / CEOCFO Magazine, an independent investment, biotech and medical news publication highlights regenerative medicine company SpinalCyte, LLC in an interview https://www.ceocfointerviews.com/interviews/SpinalCyte19.htm with Pete O'Heeron, Chief Executive Officer of SpinalCyte and also its founder, who says "fibroblasts are robust, potent and we think they are the future of regenerative medicine."
Explaining fibroblasts Mr. O'Heeron states, "Fibroblasts are regenerative cells, similar to stem cells. In the human body you have two cell types which can be used to regenerate tissue and organs. You can use stem cells or you can use fibroblasts". When asked if they are superior to stem cells Mr. O'Heeron tells us, "We have worked on fibroblasts under the radar, and now we ready to show the world what we have developed with fibroblasts. The testing that we have done shows they can be superior to stem cells, which puts us in a world leadership position for regenerative medicine
As to why they work, "Fibroblasts are the prototypic regenerative cell. They are involved in the major stages of wound healing. The main discovery we made is that not only can they produce new skin tissue, but they produce growth factors which can help regeneration of a wide variety of tissues. Also, very interestingly, fibroblasts are capable of suppressing inflammation. The twin properties of stimulating regeneration while blocking inflammation, make them the ideal cell type for treatment of a variety of chronic diseases." Mr. O'Heeron explains.
Having started in the spine space for degenerative disc disease, in discussing their pipeline, Mr. O'Heeron tells us, "We have expanded our treatment platform to include other disease pathways. We filed our one hundred and fifty eighth patent last week". Looking ahead, "Next up would be multiple sclerosis. We have done a lot of work in the lab where we have stopped degeneration of the myelin sheath and have actually stimulated regrowth of myelin producing cells in animal models using fibroblast-based therapies. We are working on putting together a clinical protocol to advance some research on that," says Mr. O'Heeron.
Explaining the value of international patents, "We want worldwide protection on all of our patents. In the European Union you receive a patent which covers the entire European Union, but in some areas, you need individual coverage like India, Hong Kong and other parts of Asia. We try to make sure that we have coverage in areas we think are emerging markets so that we can protect them". Mr. O'Heeron continues, "We certainly think Asia is an enormous market we want to be in long term. It is four times the size of the U.S., therefore, we want to protect it. We have patent protection in Mainland China, but also need it in Hong Kong, which has a separate intellectual property process from China. We have met with Chinese companies many times and the coverage is vitally important for us".
When asked if they are open to funding and partnership opportunities, Mr. O'Heeron offers, "Yes, we are. We are funded entirely by angels. We have a number of highly rated neurosurgeons across the country in the project. We also have other great angel investors in the project. We are looking for partnership opportunities and investment opportunities to continue this great work."
In conclusion, Mr. O'Heeron tells CEOCFO, "if you are looking for something that is transformative, a game changer, something that can take a second-tier spine company or pharmaceutical company from the second to the top tier, it is a company like SpinalCyte. SpinalCyte, is developing an entire cell platform that can be utilized across almost all disease pathways in the human body. Therefore, I would put SpinalCyte in a transformative category."
Contact:
Bud Wayne
Editorial Executive
CEOCFO Magazine
570-851-1745
budwayne@ceocfomagazine.com
SOURCE: CEOCFO Magazine
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https://www.accesswire.com/563941/CORRECTION-SpinalCyte-Chooses-Fibroblasts-Over-Stem-Cells
