Athersys receives patents in Japan for stem cell technology

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Athersys has been granted patents from the Japan Patent Office for several inventions involving its proprietary cell therapy technology.
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Patent No. 5398941 covers non-embryonic, multipotent stem cells, such as MultiStem, and applies to all therapeutic applications. Patent No. 5399709 covers the use of such stem cell therapies for the treatment of immune dysfunctions, such as graft-versus-host disease (GvHD), and inflammatory diseases and autoimmune disorders (for example, inflammatory bowel disease (IBD)). And, the third patent covers the treatment of brain injuries, such as stroke and traumatic brain injury, with such multipotent stem cells.0 W+ N9 ]- @7 g6 K

+ i6 f' z& a( z9 |7 d* W: k4 d1 D2 oAthersys president and chief operating officer William Lehmann noted these patents will provide the company important protection for its cell therapy products in Japan and their use in a number of significant disease areas, including stroke, IBD, GvHD and others.
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"Additionally, we are encouraged by regulatory events in Japan, which have created an accelerated development path for stem cell therapies. Recognizing these developments, Japan's sizable pharmaceutical market, and the expected growth in demand for more effective treatments of age- and lifestyle-related diseases and conditions, we consider Japan a high priority market for the development of MultiStem cell therapy product candidates," Lehmann added.1 O- q$ D; y0 y4 K: p
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Published 10 January 2014