ViaCord Nabs Rights to TRT’s Platform for Extracting Stem Cells from Cord Tissue

Perkin Elmer’s family cord blood banking business, ViaCord®, negotiated exclusive U.S. rights to Tissue Regeneration Therapeutics’ (TRT) human umbilical cord perivascular cell (HUCPVC) technology for extracting mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) from the tissue surrounding umbilical cord vessels. The deal between TRT and ViaCord includes a collaborative research initiative focused on evaluating the therapeutic benefits and anti-inflammatory potential of TRT’s MSCs.

“The initiative is designed to generate results that will provide a foundation for clinical studies of stem cell applications for inflammatory joint diseases,” comments J.E. Davies, TRT’s president and CEO.

The firm claims that MSCs from the tissue around cord vessels have been shown to generate all the tissues of the musculoskeletal system, including cartilage, muscle, tendons, and skin dermis. The cells also accelerate wound healing by stimulating new blood vessel growth and exhibit immunoregulatory properties that could be used to treat immune and inflammatory diseases.

ViaCord’s exclusive license to the TRT technology means it will be the only cord banking service in the U.S. able to extract and expand MSCs from cord tissues and tissues around the cord vessels, as well as its existing cord blood banking service. In Canada the TRT cord tissue technology was licensed to the CReATe  cord blood bank in 2006. CReATe markets the TRT technology as Peristem™.

In addition to the HUCPVC product lines, TRT’s wholly owned subsidiary, BoneTec, has developed a biodegradable scaffold, OsteoScaf™, for bone augmentation. The fully resorbable and osteoconductive material has received FDA 510 (k) clearance.