(Alliance News) - Hemogenyx Pharmaceuticals PLC on Tuesday said it has been granted a patent in Europe for post-natal hemogenic endothelial cells and their use.
Vladislav Sandler, Hemogenyx's co-founder and chief executive, discovered these cells, known as Hu-PHECs, which could "provide a new form of blood stem cell replacement therapy".
A patent application was filed back in 2014, and Hemogenyx was granted a worldwide exclusive sub-licence licence for the patent by Cornell University, where Sandler was working when he made the discovery.
The European Patent Office's decision to grant the patent, titled "Post-Natal Hemogenic Endothelial Cells and their isolation and use" under patent number 3068875. The patent takes effect once the European Patent Bulletin mentions the grant, which is set to take place on May 13.
Hemogenyx has already been issued a patent for Hu-PHECs in the US under the same title, as announced in February.
Hu-PHECs are a sub-class of stem cells which generate hematopoietic stem cells, a type of bone marrow cell that gives rise to all the major types of blood cells. They "are thought to be cancer-free" because they do not accumulate mutations relating to blood cancer or chromosomal rearrangements. As such, they are a promising candidate for bone marrow and hematopoietic stem cell transplants.
"This approach can potentially be used to treat blood cancers and auto-immune diseases with superior results. Importantly, it would remove the need to find a matching bone marrow donor, significantly expanding the number of patients who could be treated and it would also reduce the problem of transplant rejection which can occur under existing therapies," said Hemogenyx.
Sandler said: "The issue of the European patent is significant for the company as it extends Hemogenyx's commercial rights in Europe, thereby further solidifying and protecting Hemogenyx's position as a leader in the area of cell therapy, and helping to place Hu-PHECs at the foundation of the development of novel methods of combating blood cancers and auto-immune diseases."
By Anna Farley; annafarley@alliancenews.com
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