Oxford regenerative medicine spinout OxStem, which raised $24.4m in 2016, has launched two subsidiaries to focus on therapies for diabetes, chronic inflammation and wound healing.
OxStem, a UK-based regenerative medicine spinout from University of Oxford, launched two subsidiaries on Thursday to hone the development of Oxford research targeting diabetes, chronic inflammation and wound healing.
OxStem Beta will focus on treatments for diabetes, while OxStem Immuno will progress medications to fight chronic inflammation and foster wound recovery. The announcement takes the total number of OxStem subsidiaries to six, with each handling a separate area of therapeutic expertise.
The other divisions are OxStem Oncology, OxStem Neuro, OxStem Ocular and OxStem Cardio.
Founded in 2016, OxStem develops small molecule-based therapies intended to stimulate stem and progenitor cells that already exist in the human body to tackle age-related conditions including dementia, macular degeneration, cancer and diabetes.
OxStem Beta advances research by three Oxford scientists – James Cantley, a fellow at the department of physiology, anatomy and genetics, Steve Davies, founder of OxStem and professor of chemistry at the university, and Angela Russell, professor of medicinal chemistry.
The subsidiary will aim to stimulate the creation of insulin-producing beta cells to treat both type 1 and type 2 diabetes.
Meanwhile, OxStem Immuno will use the macrophage, a naturally-occurring white blood cell that ingests foreign particles and infectious microorganisms, to tackle inflammation and repair chronic wounds. The therapy was devised in the lab of David Greaves, a professor at the Sir William Dunn School of Pathology.
OxStem will supply both subsidiaries with capital to fund continued studies in each Oxford laboratory. The spinout had received $24.4m in a 2016 round backed by Oxford’s venturing fund, Oxford Sciences Innovation, genomics diagnostics provider Human Longevity and undisclosed private investors.
