Programme to overcome major hurdle in stabilisation of cells starts 1 February

Funded by Technology Strategy Board Grant for Regenerative Medicine

Stabilitech Ltd, the private platform technology company which specialises in the stabilisation of sensitive biological molecules, is pleased to announce that its Regenerative Medicine Technology programme (“RegenMed”) which it is undertaking with UCL, to address the major problem of the stabilisation of cells, starts tomorrow, 1 February. This follows the award of a grant worth in excess of £300,000 to Stabilitech and UCL by the Technology Strategy Board.

The grant will be used to test the application of Stabilitech’s proprietary thermal stabilisation technology platform for use in cells, now that it has demonstrated its potential in enabling vaccines and biopharmaceuticals to be stored at a wide range of temperatures.

Currently, there is a major practical obstacle surrounding the use of cell therapies. The stresses involved in manufacturing cell therapeutics can often lead to considerable changes in cell efficacy and functionality. Further stresses on the cells occur before they are used in patients during storage, distribution and administration and the time within which some of these therapies must be administered can be very limited. The work to be carried out under the grant is aimed at discovering formulations to protect regenerative medicine therapeutics over the entire manufacturing, storage and distribution chain.

Regenerative medicine promises significantly to improve human health by offering innovative treatment options for diseases and conditions that remain significant unmet medical needs.

Stabilitech will introduce the Company’s technology to leaders in the field of regenerative medicine during the two year timescale of the grant by working with UCL and their Industrial Users Group. This multidisciplinary group is working on advancing the translation of the basic cell science into safe, clinically effective and affordable therapies for deployment in routine clinical practice. Stabilitech will be working alongside Professor Mike Hoare, Chairman of The Advanced Centre for Biochemical Engineering from UCL whose knowledge and expertise in the field of biochemical engineering, and particularly in ultra scale-down technology, offers a strategic advantage to the R&D programme.

Mike Hoare, Chairman of The Advanced Centre for Biochemical Engineering from UCL said: “This is an exciting opportunity for us to take the new ultra scale-down skills we have pioneered through the UCL EPSRC Innovative Manufacturing Research Centre for Bioprocessing and a Technology Strategy Board programme on speeding routes to preparation of human cells for therapy and join forces with a pioneering company in the area of biological material stabilisation to help create new approaches for human cell supply for therapy.“

Dr Barbara Domayne-Hayman, CEO of Stabilitech, said:
“We believe our technology for thermal stabilisation holds the key to more effective and widespread vaccine and biopharmaceutical use globally. This award allows us to begin an important R&D programme for the Company and will provide us with critical in-depth knowledge on how our technology can work in the stabilisation of cells. The grant provides a perfect opportunity to work with UCL, a renowned research institution and for the Company to establish themselves as pioneers in the cell thermostability field.’’

For further information please contact:
Stabilitech
Dr Barbara Domayne-Hayman, Chief Executive Officer
+ 44 (0)7771 635 450

London Bioscience Innovation Centre,
2 Royal College Street,
London NW1 0NH