Mesoblast has used well-characterized in vitro and in vivo models to assess the therapeutic potential of MPC.
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MPC can be isolated from bone marrow, fat, skin and a variety of other sites in human adults and grown to large numbers relatively quickly using simple, inexpensive culture techniques.
The MPC can differentiate under the right growth conditions in vitro into bone, cartilage, fat, heart muscle and blood vessels, enabling broad development of this platform technology for a number of conditions that would benefit from tissue regeneration. |
Specific results from the pre-clinical studies demonstrate
that:
• human MPC can differentiate into bone and cartilage, and can generate large numbers of blood vessels
;
• MPCs can induce long-term repair of large
bone defects following fractures;
• MPCs produce the type of cartilage proteoglycans
that are lost from degenerated intervertebral discs,
suggesting that they could be used to regenerate intervertebral
discs; and
• MPC induce growth of new arterioles in the heart, suggesting that MPC may enhance regeneration of damaged heart muscle and result in sustained improvement in measures of cardiac function .
In addition to direct transformation into a variety of tissue types in vivo , MPC can secrete factors that trigger the animal's own tissues to start to regrow. Moreover, since they can give rise to new blood vessels, MPC may have a unique ability to enhance tissue regeneration by increasing blood flow necessary to stimulate cell growth and division in regenerating tissues.
Preparatory to making application to the FDA to commence clinical trials, Mesoblast and Angioblast are conducting studies in sheep for both orthopaedic and cardiovascular conditions to assess the
safety and efficacy
of the cells, different delivery methods, and the optimal dosage for use in clinical applications.
Product Development
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