Conference Reports
3rd European Stem Cells & Regenerative Medicine Congress
London, 13-15 May 2008
This year's European Stem Cells & Regenerative Medicine Congress took place at the prestigious Royal Horseguards Hotel in London, aiming to build on its base of being Europe's most progressive forum for the senior members of both the scientific and commercial stem cell community. On the opening day, Dr. Chris Mason of University College London stated that we are now in the era of 'Regenerative Medicine 2.0', meaning that the focus of the industry is now on the translation of established research into commercially-viable products. He went on to highlight the potential of regenerative medicine as a force for 'Transforming Healthcare', drawing attention to the fact that it has the potential to do more to combat disease than any 'standard' pharmaceutical or biotech products.
He was followed by
Dr. Alan Trounson,
President of the California
Institute of
Regenerative Medicine,
who came on to
give an overview of
this fledgling industry
as it stands today.
Apart from discussing
the various types of
stem cell that are
under investigation,
of which he believed
that the embryonic was still the most powerful - though mentioning
as well the up-and-coming potential of adult stem cells
- the most importance was given to the need for human clinical
trials. Although there has been a great deal of positive
data collected from animal studies of human disease, Dr.
Trounson maintained that until human data is collected, stem
cell therapies remain something of an unknown quantity. He
then reiterated a central tenet of 'RegenMed 2.0' which is the
need now to bring tangible benefits to patients themselves,
rather than ongoing blue-sky research. Lastly, delegates were
treated to a highly informative talk from Bernard Siegel, Executive
Director of the Genetics Policy Institute, who drew
attention to the need not just for research and commercial
goals to be recognised, but also the importance of policy in
the future of regenerative medicine. Particularly, though not
exclusively, in the US, policy makers supporting regenerative
medicine are fighting a 'war' against powerful anti-research
lobby groups, and the importance of this aspect in progressing
the industry cannot and must not be overlooked.
The meeting continued with a wealth of encouraging data regarding various cell-based therapies under development. Theregen presented results from Phase I trials of its product Anginera, a tissue-engineered epicardial patch containing human fibroblasts that induce a wide variety of growth factors and cytokines to stimulate angiogenesis. Results showed a 3x increase in arterioles in epicardium under the patch after 3 weeks and an average 60-70% increase after a year. A Phase II trial in coronary artery bypass graft patients is now being planned. CEO of Geron Thomas Okarma was due to talk on some of its ongoing projects, but with the US FDA placing a clinical hold on their spinal cord injury therapy just the day before, was unfortunately unable to attend.
On the second day there was more promising data available, with Novocell reporting on its treatment for Type I diabetes, which comprises insulin-producing ß-islet cells encapsulated within a PEG-conformal coating to prevent immune rejection. Not only were there positive results from murine studies, but in 2 patients from a Phase I/II trial, there were no adverse events after a year and insulin requirements were decreased by 33%. ReNeuron presented similar early-stage data on ReN001, a genetically-modified stem cell treatment for stroke disability, which, in animals with stroke damage, dose-dependently restored sensory and motor function with no evidence of hyperproliferation. Safety was also demonstrated over 6 months in primates, a closer indicator of potential human outcomes. A Phase I dose-escalation study in patients with stable neurological deficit is planned. Cellerant Therapeutics was also on hand to provide an update on its myeloid progenitor cell therapy, CLT-008, which showed positive effects in mouse models of neutropenia and acute radiation syndrome.
This year's meeting was an illuminating and friendly affair, with a distinguished panel of guests and speakers. In an industry such as this, which though still at its early stages, really does have the potential to transform healthcare and the way we treat disease, gatherings of such luminaries are an essential part of its growth. In this respect the 3rd European Stem Cells & Regenerative Medicine Congress was a resounding success and one hopes that it can continue to build on this foundation in the future.
Thomas Stirzaker
Pharmaprojects Analyst
The 4th World Stem Cells & Regenerative Medicine Congress will be held in London, 12-14 May 2009.
