Human lung regeneration and repair - Scientists make first practical step towards growing human lung cells for lung regeneration and repair

Cambridge, UK, August 23, 2005 – NovaThera announce today further progress in the development of regenerative medicine.

Lung disease is a major killer and cause of chronic illness in the western world. Many believe that considerable advances in treating lung disease could come from using stem cells to repair and regenerate damaged tissues.

But first we need to be able to turn stem cells into lung cells and then make enough lung cells for medical treatments.

Scientists in Imperial College London have successfully converted human embryonic stem cells into lung cells, taking a first step towards making lung cells available for repair and regeneration and eventually building human lungs for transplantation.

The team from Imperial College London, took human embryonic stem cells and ‘directed’ them to convert into the type of cells needed for oxygen exchange in the lung, known as mature small airway epithelium (research to be published in the journal Tissue Engineering).

Dame Professor Julia Polak, from Imperial College London and based at Chelsea and Westminster Hospital, who led the research team, says: “This is a very exciting development, and could be a huge step towards being able to build human lungs for transplantation or to repair lungs severely damaged by incurable diseases such as cancer.”

The research involved taking human embryonic stem cells and placing them in a specialized growth system that encouraged them to change into the cells that line the part of the lung where oxygen is absorbed and carbon dioxide excreted.

Dr Anne Bishop, from Imperial College London and based at Chelsea and Westminster Hospital, and senior author of the paper, adds: “Although it will be some years before we are able to build actual human lungs for transplantation, this is an important first step towards deriving cells that could be used to repair damaged lungs.”

The team is associated with NovaThera a biotech company developing pioneering processes and systems to get large scale production of lung, heart, bone and other cells from stem cells.

NovaThera is successfully driving the movement of regenerative medicine from the lab bench and into the clinic. Lung repair is an exciting area for regenerative medicine applications particularly in critical care applications. NovaThera and the Imperial team are working in close collaboration with Novalung a German Medtech company.

Novalung are interested in creating the World’s first bio hybrid lung-assist device. This device would be designed to contain stem cell-derived lung cells and prolong the life of patients whose lungs have been damaged by fire or illness until they recover or for those on transplant lists, whose lungs have ceased to function, until a donor organ can be found.

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Notes to editors:
Publication: Derivation of distal airway epithelium from human embryonic stem cells.
Tissue Engineering.

NovaThera Projects
NovaThera has ambitious plans to develop regenerative medicine. ‘If stem cell-based therapies are ever to have a significant impact on healthcare, we must abandon the complex, time-consuming and expensive tailor made route. What we need is an ‘off-the-shelf’ product capable of scale up and turning into cell factories to provide material for medical treatments’, said Gareth Roberts CEO of Novathera.

NovaThera is already working with world leading groups to confront the challenges in stem cell biology and produce working systems for efficient and reliable large scale cell production – using sophisticated bioprocessor technology, the group intends to develop the world’s first processes for practical manufacture of cells for medical uses. The UK DTI has agreed to fund the project in recognition of its potential

Background on Novathera Ltd.
NovaThera Ltd. (“NovaThera”) is a spin-out company of Imperial College London. It specializes in pioneering applications of biomaterials and stem cell biology for regenerative medicine and tissue engineering to provide innovative therapeutic solutions. NovaThera has a relationship with Imperial College to continue commercialization of the current and future technologies emanating from Tissue Engineering and Regenerative Medicine Centre (“TERM”) of Imperial College London, a world-class research center combining biology, biomaterials and bio-photonics expertise. For more information about NovaThera, please visit http://www.novathera.com.

Background on Novalung GmbH
Novalung was founded in 2002. Their mission is the development and introduction of new therapy options of the acute and chronic lung failure. Novalung develops and manufactures exclusively in Germany. We have established a wide technology portfolio in the range of artificial lungs through proprietary development and purchase. All departments of the company are situated in the medical valley in Hechingen/Germany, the old residence town of the Hohenzollern at the foot of the Swabian hills. The Interventional Lung Assist (iLA) is our first product line licensed with the CE mark. The iLA is the first artificial lung accommodated with blood by the human heart.
Biolung, our second product line will be used from 2006 on. It enables a wide spectra of applications up to the full replacement of gas exchange via the human lung.
The introduction of therapy options by this product takes place in close contact with hospitals. Training and clinical support are a main focus of our work. www.novalung.com.

Background on Imperial College London
Consistently rated in the top three UK university institutions, Imperial College London is a world leading science-based university whose reputation for excellence in teaching and research attracts students (11,000) and staff (6,000) of the highest international quality. Innovative research at the College explores the interface between science, medicine, engineering and management and delivers practical solutions that enhance the quality of life and the environment - underpinned by a dynamic enterprise culture. Website: www.imperial.ac.uk.