Vascugen has brought on-board more licences related to stem cell therapies that could restore blood vessels in tissues where the blood flow has been restricted.
Vascugen, a US-based regenerative medicine developer spun out from Indiana University, has licensed additional intellectual properties from the institution’s School of Medicine.
The assets relate to using adult stem cells to restore the function of blood vessels. They align with Vascugen’s strategy of developing stem cell therapies for tissues affected by restricted blood flow because of disorders including peripheral artery disease, where cholesterol deposits in the arteries prevent blood from circulating to the limbs.
Vascugen said the new licences also cover complementary products or services for purposes including research, diagnostics, therapeutics, tissue engineering and 3D printing.
IU Innovation and Commercialisation Office, the university’s tech transfer arm, was responsible for concluding the agreements, which commercialise research led by Mervin Yoder, co-founder of Vascugen and a distinguished professor emeritus at the School of Medicine.
The company has not disclosed any funding to date.
Yoder, now chief scientific officer of Vascugen, said: “Injuries or degenerative diseases of the vasculature affect hundreds of millions of patients worldwide.
“Our research seeks to understand how a healthy vasculature is maintained and propagated. I am thrilled to now advance these discoveries into clinical applications with the potential to benefit patients.”