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| Apollo creates first commercial hcx™ version of key stem cell factor |
Apollo's hcx proteins | Apollo has produced the world’s first commercially available human cell expressed version of a key component of human stem cell research – a protein called Fibroblast Growth Factor 2 (FGF-2).
FGF-2, also known as FGF basic, is widely used for stem cell research because it has versatile roles. In combination with other proteins, FGF-2 can maintain stem cells in an undifferentiated state – where they have not yet committed to be a particular type of cell. It can also play a role in forming undifferentiated stem cells into bone, skin or connective tissue cells which can be used to treat patients with diseases such as psoriasis and osteoarthritis.
To date one of the biggest barriers to developing human treatments from stem cell research is that most of the work has been done in animal, yeast or bacterial cells. Although this research has been successful at the preclinical proof-of-concept stage, these cells cannot be transplanted into humans for clinical trials. The production of the world’s first human derived FGF-2 means that this factor can now be used in the production of stem cell therapies for human use.
Of potentially greater importance is the fact that FGF-2 can also be used to regulate the production of new blood vessels (angiogenesis) in a wide variety of disease states, from cardiac disease to wounds. Many cancerous tumours also rely on the formation of new blood vessels to survive and grow and a fully human FGF-2 could lead to the development of better small molecule inhibitors of such tumours.
FGF-2 has also been shown to have a role in the development of the central nervous system with a potential role in the renewal of nerve cells in patients with paraplegia and other nervous system diseases.
Apollo’s CEO, John Priest, said that the release of the world’s first commercially available human cell expressed FGF-2 is a big step for the company. "This will really put us on the international map – not only because we’ve created the first human derived FGF but because the announcement puts us on the global pharmaceutical radar as a company that is at the cutting edge of human derived proteins," he said. |
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| www.apollolifesciences.com |
