Fibrocell Science, Inc. of Exton now has an exclusive license agreement with the regents of the University of California at Los Angeles to commercially apply the patented results of their ongoing scientific collaboration.

The organizations are researching stem cell and regenerative human skin cell technologies. They are primarily focused on developing first-in-class treatments for rare and serious skin and connective tissue diseases such as vocal cord and restrictive burn scarring.

The technologies from the UCLA collaboration and exclusive license agreements enable Fibrocell to expand its proprietary Personalized Biologics platform. This uses human fibroblasts and stem cells from skin to create localized therapies that are compatible with the unique biology of each patient.

Specifically, the newly licensed patents and technologies relate to two advancements in the therapeutic application of cell therapies.  One method uses autologous fibroblasts for surgical bone repair.  The other produces highly stable, commercially viable induced pluripotent stem cells from adult skin cells.

The research is led by James A. Byrne, Ph.D., an assistant professor in UCLA’s Department of Molecular and Medical Pharmacology at the Eli and Edythe Broad Center of Regenerative Medicine and Stem Cell Research.

Fibrocell Science, Inc. is an autologous cell therapy company primarily focused on developing first-in-class treatments for rare and serious skin and connective tissue diseases with high unmet medical needs. The company recently reported a strong financial start for 2014 and that it had expanded a strategically important collaboration agreement with Intrexon Corporation.  Together they are addressing treatments for the rare connective tissue disorder Ehlers-Danlos syndrome hypermobility-type.

_______

Top image courtesy of Wikimedia Commons.