SpinalCyte Announces Publication of Fibroblast Cell Therapy Review in the Journal of Translational Medicine

HOUSTON--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- SpinalCyte, LLC, a Texas-based regenerative medicine company focused on regrowth of the spinal disc using Human Dermal Fibroblasts, today announced the publication of an analysis exploring the use of fibroblasts as a more practical and potentially more effective cell therapy than mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs). The article titled “Fibroblasts as a Practical Alternative to Mesenchymal Stem Cells,” was published in the Journal of Translational Medicine and is available at https://translational-medicine.biomedcentral.com/track/pdf/10.1186/s12967-018-1536-1.

The review highlighted the need for cell therapies that are both practical and commercially viable and explored the use of fibroblasts as a more useful and potentially more effective cell therapy than mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs). One immediate area of need for new therapies is in degenerative disc disease (DDD). Degenerative disc disease is a condition in which a patient’s spinal disc breaks down and can begin to collapse. It is estimated that 85% of people over the age of 50 have evidence of disc degeneration and over 1.3 million procedures a year are performed to treat the disease.

The most common treatments for patients with DDD are either discectomy or spinal fusion. Discectomy is the partial or full removal of the degenerated disc to decompress and relieve the nervous system but can cause long term spinal pain. In a spinal fusion procedure, the entire disc is removed and the two adjacent vertebrae are fused together. It often increases strain on the adjacent discs and surrounding tissues leading to further degeneration.

“Current therapies for DDD are inconsistent and expensive,” said Thomas Ichim, Ph.D., SpinalCyte Chief Scientific Officer and lead author of the review. “A fibroblast cell therapy may be both clinically beneficial and commercially attractive for patients with the disease. I have found that the human dermal fibroblast product, CybroCell, is the most practical and potent treatment for the disease I have worked with to date.”

CybroCell is the first off-the-shelf allogenic human dermal fibroblast (HDF) product for the treatment of degenerative disc disease. SpinalCyte’s Phase 1/Phase 2 clinical trial for injected human dermal fibroblasts in the treatment of DDD demonstrated preliminary six-month data whereby 83% of patients had an increase or no change in disc height.

“CybroCell addresses the underlying condition of degenerative disc disease rather than just the symptoms. Such treatments may reduce or eliminate the need for these patients to use addictive opioids,” said Pete O’Heeron, SpinalCyte Chief Executive Officer. “With over 85% of patients using CybroCell reporting significant therapeutic improvement at 6 months, we believe this therapy will ultimately lead to a cure for DDD. In the future, we see HDFs replacing MSCs in other cell therapy applications.”

About SpinalCyte

Based in Houston, Texas, SpinalCyte, LLC is a regenerative medicine company developing an innovative solution for spinal replacement using human dermal fibroblasts. Currently, SpinalCyte holds 32 U.S. and international issued patents and has filed for an additional 44 patents pending. Funded entirely by angel investors, SpinalCyte represents the next generation of medical advancement in cell therapy. Visit www.spinalcyte.com.

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