Histogen, Inc. Establishes Histogen Aesthetics; New President Named
SAN DIEGO/PHOENIX, October 20, 2008 – Histogen, Inc., a regenerative medicine company developing solutions based on the products of newborn dermal fibroblasts, today announced the creation of Histogen Aesthetics LLC, a venture developing products for the growing medical aesthetic industries based on Histogen’s core technology.
From a proprietary bioreactor process in which newborn fibroblasts are grown under proprietary embryonic-like conditions, Histogen Aesthetics extracts a unique complex – ReGenicaTM – made up of the naturally secreted growth factors, antioxidants and other synergistic bio-products that are produced. This complex will become the active ingredient in the Histogen Aesthetics line of products for skin, hair and nail care.
A recent clinical study of 49 patients, in which ReGenica was used as a treatment following an ablative cosmetic laser procedure, revealed improvement of overall skin condition in comparison to the vehicle control. Histogen Aesthetics is beginning follow-up studies of ReGenica for post-laser resurfacing, as well as topical skin and hair anti-aging applications.
Dermatology, cosmetics and biotechnology industry veteran Lawrence A. Rheins, Ph.D. has joined Histogen Aesthetics, LLC as President.
“The market for next generation, novel cosmeceuticals is rapidly evolving, including the movement of physician-dispensed, non-prescription products beyond the traditional medical specialties of plastic surgery and cosmetic dermatology, and into other medical specialties,” said Rheins. “There is a continuing need for adjunct palliative skin conditioning products for use following all sorts of minimally and more invasive cosmetic procedures - laser, dermabrasion - by physicians engaged in aesthetic medicine.”
Based on Histogen Aesthetics’ initial studies, the Company believes that the proteins and growth factors within ReGenica work synergistically with the skin and hair’s own physiology to combat the effects of the normal aging process, making the complex ideal for a breadth of advanced aesthetic products.
“Of the numerous products on the market, few have robust controlled scientific data to support claims of clinical improvement,” continued Rheins. “Our goal is to create a line of skin, hair and nail care products that are not only sensorially appealing to consumers, but are based on the proven results of controlled clinical studies. I am excited to announce the creation of Histogen Aesthetics, and look forward to the launch of our first skin care products for the physician-dispensed medical aesthetics arena.”
Dr. Rheins joins Histogen Aesthetics from the cosmetic/personal care industry, and brings a rich, varied background in research dermatology, tissue engineering and contract research clinical services. Most recently, he served as Vice President of Science and Technology at Floratech International, a raw material supplier of botanical-derived ingredients for the cosmetic and personal care industries. Prior to this, Dr. Rheins founded DermTech International; a biotechnology company focused on dermatologic, “point of care” diagnostics, and was co-inventor of the Company’s proprietary Epidermal Genetic Information Retrieval (EGIR) technology.
Dr. Rheins was also previously Executive Director at Advanced Tissue Sciences, a tissue engineering company focused on the growth of human skin and other tissues. He served as Director of pre-clinical/clinical CRO services at Hill Top Research, and Divisional Toxicologist and Skin Laboratory Manager with Procter & Gamble. Prior to his industry career, Dr. Rheins served as Assistant Professor of Dermatology, at the University of Cincinnati, College of Medicine. Dr. Rheins holds several patents, and has authored more than 50 articles and book chapters on immunology, toxicology, dermatology and in vitro alternatives.
Histogen Aesthetics is currently focusing on the development of the ReGenica line of products, with launches beginning in the first quarter of 2009. These products will be distributed through Secure Medical, a technology and health care solutions provider based in Tempe, Arizona. Secure Medical already partners with Histogen to distribute its first product, the BioNuesisTM Human Stem Cell Culturing Kit.
About Histogen Histogen, launched in 2007, seeks to redefine regenerative medicine by developing a series of high- value products without the use of embryonic stem cells or animal products. Through Histogen's proprietary bioreactors that mimic the embryonic environment, newborn fibroblasts are encouraged to naturally produce the vital proteins and growth factors from which the Company has developed its rich product portfolio. Histogen has two product families – ExceltrixTM, Histogen's human Extracellular Matrix (ECM) and ReGenicaTM, Histogen's proprietary liquid formula. For more information, please visit www.histogeninc.com. Histogen Aesthetics can be found online at www.histogenaesthetics.com.
About Secure Medical Secure Medical is a privately held company based in Tempe, Arizona. The company possesses ownership and interests in a variety of business models, all related to the medical industry. The following solutions are among those provided by Secure Medical: medical processing and fulfillment services/call center capabilities; telemedicine/telehealth services in conjunction with the American Telemedicine Association; and patented medical kiosk manufacturing/creation of associated software and hardware. Secure Medical is a biotech industry partner with Histogen, Inc. of San Diego, and its newest venture, Histogen Aesthetics. Histogen provides products that are naturally produced, for regenerative medicine and stem cell research.