THE WOODLANDS, Texas--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Opexa Therapeutics, Inc. (NASDAQ: OPXA), a company dedicated to the development of stem cell therapies for diabetes today announced new preclinical data to support its autologous stem cell therapy program. Opexa completed confirmatory studies within its c-GMP facility showing that cells obtained from peripheral blood have the ability to differentiate into stem cells and ultimately into pancreatic-like cells. Opexa’s proprietary technology has shown that peripheral blood mononuclear cells obtained from the blood of healthy and diabetic patients can differentiate into pancreatic islet-like cells, demonstrating many of the expected characteristics of true pancreatic islet cells including the ability to secrete insulin, glucagon and somatostatin. Additional studies recently completed by Opexa’s scientists also support these findings showing high levels of C-peptide, a by-product of insulin synthesis, within these islet-like cells, as well as many key stem cell and pancreatic biomarkers.
