ALAMEDA, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--BioTime, Inc. (NYSE American: BTX), a late stage clinical biotechnology company focused on developing and commercializing products addressing degenerative diseases, today announced that an abstract related to one of its lead programs, OpRegen® for dry-AMD, was presented at the annual American Academy of Ophthalmology (AAO) in New Orleans, Louisiana, on November 14, 2017.
Dr. Eyal Banin (Hadassah-Hebrew University Medical Center, Jerusalem, Israel), one of the principal investigators participating in the study, presented data from the ongoing open-label, dose escalation study. The abstract presented was titled, “Phase 1 and 2a Study of Human Stem Cell – Derived Retinal Pigment Epithelial Cells Transplanted Subretinally in Advanced Dry-Form AMD Patients.”
OpRegen® is composed of differentiated retinal pigment epithelium cells derived from human stem cells under xeno-free conditions. Observations of the ongoing PI/IIa open-label study and the results to date show that both the surgical procedure used to inject the OpRegen® cells, as well as OpRegen®, were well tolerated. OpRegen® showed continued long-term safety through 15 months and there were no treatment-related systemic serious adverse events to date. In addition to safety and tolerability, imaging suggests signs of engraftment and cell survival.
“We believe that administration of OpRegen® cells may ultimately prove to be a potential therapeutic option for dry-AMD subjects and are currently actively enrolling additional subjects to further understand the possibility it represents for these patients,” commented Dr. Eyal Banin.
To view the actual presentation, please refer to the events and presentation section of the BioTime website, http://investor.biotimeinc.com/phoenix.zhtml?c=83805&p=irol-calendar.
About OpRegen®
OpRegen®, which is being studied for the treatment of the dry form of AMD, consists of a suspension of Retinal Pigment Epithelial (RPE) cells that are delivered subretinally during a simple intraocular injection. RPE cells are essential components of the back lining of the retina, and function to help nourish the retina including photoreceptors. A proprietary process that drives the differentiation of human pluripotent stem cells is used to generate high purity OpRegen® RPE cells. OpRegen® RPE cells are also “xeno-free," meaning that no animal products are used at any point in the derivation and production process. The avoidance of the use of animal products eliminates some potential safety concerns. Preclinical studies in rats have shown that following a single subretinal injection of OpRegen®, the cells can rapidly organize into its natural monolayer structure in the subretinal space and survive throughout the lifetime of the animal. OpRegen® is designed to be an “off-the-shelf” allogeneic (non-patient specific) product. Unlike treatments that require multiple, frequent injections into the eye, it is expected that OpRegen® would be administered in a single procedure. OpRegen® was granted Fast Track designation from the FDA, which allows more frequent interactions with the agency, and eligibility for accelerated approval and priority review. OpRegen® is a registered trademark of Cell Cure Neurosciences Ltd., a majority-owned subsidiary of BioTime, Inc.
About BioTime, Inc.
BioTime is a late stage clinical biotechnology company focused on developing and commercializing products addressing degenerative diseases. The Company’s current clinical programs are targeting three primary sectors, aesthetics, ophthalmology and cell and drug delivery. Its clinical programs are based on two platform technologies: pluripotent cells, which can become any type of cell in the human body, and cell/drug delivery. Renevia®, a cell delivery product, met its primary endpoint in an EU pivotal clinical trial for the treatment of facial lipoatrophy in HIV patients earlier this year. Submission for approval of Renevia® in the EU is expected to be early 2018, with possible approval and commercial launch in 2018. There were no device related serious adverse events reported. OpRegen®, a retinal pigment epithelium transplant therapy, is in a Phase I/IIa multicenter trial for the treatment of dry age-related macular degeneration, the leading cause of blindness in developing countries. There were no related serious adverse events reported. BioTime also has significant equity holdings in two publicly traded companies, Asterias Biotherapeutics, Inc. (NYSE American: AST) andOncoCyte Corporation (NYSE American: OCX), and a private company, AgeX Therapeutics, Inc.
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