BioTime Subsidiary LifeMap Sciences Announces Publication of Research Report Describing LifeMap Discovery™
LifeMap Sciences, Inc., a subsidiary of BioTime, Inc. (NYSE MKT: BTX),
announced today that the LifeMap Discovery™ product has been
documented in a published paper authored by LifeMap Sciences’ research
and development team. LifeMap Discovery™ (available as of
November 2012 via http://discovery.lifemapsc.com/)
is the first “roadmap” directing scientists through the many hundreds of
branch points in the stems of the tree of human cellular life. It also
merges experimental knowledge on stem cell biology and regenerative
medicine, striving to aid researchers in the quest to produce functional
cells capable of regenerating particular tissues in the body, for the
treatment of a variety of degenerative diseases.
LifeMap Discovery™ is a key component of LifeMap’s therapeutic
discovery collaboration with BioTime and is utilized in conjunction with
LifeMap’s proprietary bioinformatics tools to select the PureStem™
cells that are most likely to be useful in developing cell-based
regenerative medicine therapies for a wide range of diseases.
The publication titled “LifeMap Discovery™: The embryonic development,
stem cells, and regenerative medicine research portal” in the open
access peer-reviewed journal PLOS ONE can be viewed via the link http://dx.plos.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0066629.
The publication describes the scientific and technological foundations
of LifeMap Discovery™, the first road map of embryonic
development on a cellular level. Key features that are described in the
publication include the following:
Embryonic development tree
LifeMap Discovery™ displays more than 1,400 cell types and
anatomical structures of the developing embryo and the cellular
differentiation that occurs during mammalian embryonic development,
branching from the zygote to the progenitor cells and terminating at the
mature cells. It covers developmental paths of various types of cells,
including blood, endothelium, motor neurons, bone, cartilage and many
more.
Stem cell differentiation protocols
LifeMap Discovery™ provides more than 100 protocols used to
induce differentiation of various embryonic and progenitor cells and of
induced pluripotent stem cells into various cell types (for example, a
protocol for derivation of motor neuron-like cells). Each protocol is
displayed in a “card” that contains an informative and interactive
viewer, sketching the protocol in a stepwise fashion.
Regenerative medicine
LifeMap Discovery™ provides a wealth of information on diseases
which represent potential targets for cell-based therapeutic approaches
and medically relevant information relating to regenerative medicine. It
also provides cell-based therapy approaches that apply cultured stem
cells towards treatment of degenerative diseases, via replacement of
damaged cells or tissues, and/or stimulation of the body's natural
repair mechanisms.
Gene expression and signaling
Cells and anatomical compartments of the developing embryo are
characterized by specific gene expression profiles and selective
markers, as well as by signaling molecules that participate in pathways
which guide embryonic development. LifeMap Discovery™ provides
this molecular information for various cell types as well as for
cultured stem, progenitor and primary cells. It also provides a
centralized means of identifying cell types throughout in vivo embryonic
development or in vitro stem cell differentiation
procedures, based on specific gene expression profiles.
“The sophisticated detail in the LifeMap Discovery™ database is a
reflection of a movement underway in regenerative medicine toward a
higher definition of cell types in research and therapy,” said Dr.
Michael West, CEO of BioTime. “We believe the database will not only
bring more traffic to the LifeMap database suite, but will also be the
backbone for moving this increasingly complex field toward clinical
application.”
“The publication describing LifeMap Discovery™ in a leading
journal in its field is a validation of the scientific merits of this
leading edge state-of-the-art product,” stated David Warshawsky, Ph.D.,
President and CEO of LifeMap Sciences. “Our team is dedicated to
continuing to enhance LifeMap Discovery™ and we are delighted to
see the rapid growth of use by the global research community, already
several tens of thousands of users. We are eager to see the impact that
this remarkable resource will have in the transformative field of
regenerative medicine.”
About LifeMap Sciences, Inc.
LifeMap Sciences’ (www.lifemapsc.com)
core technology and business is based on the LifeMap Integrated
Biomedical Knowledgebase, the discovery platform for biomedical and stem
cell research. This web-based platform includes GeneCards®,
the leading human gene compendium; LifeMap Discovery™, the
embryonic development, stem cell research and regenerative medicine
compendium; and MalaCards, the human disease compendium.
According to Google Analytics, the sites have generated more than
2,000,000 unique visitors with more than 13,000,000 page views, from
more than 3,000 universities, institutions and biomedical companies in
the past 12 months.
Via LifeMap BioReagents™, LifeMap offers leading edge reagents to
researchers in academia, research hospitals, and biotech and pharma
companies. LifeMap is BioTime’s principal marketing subsidiary for
research products, including PureStem™ human progenitor cells, PureStem™
packages, clinical and research grade human embryonic stem cell (hES)
lines, culture media, and cell differentiation kits. The eCommerce
portal also offers select recombinant proteins, including growth
factors, signaling molecules, differentiation factors, cytokines and
chemokines that complement BioTime research product lines.
In therapeutic discovery collaboration with BioTime, LifeMap’s
scientists utilize the Integrated Biomedical Knowledgebase to aid in the
development of BioTime’s proprietary library of more than 200 PureStem™
human progenitor cell types into products for the treatment of human
diseases, especially degenerative diseases that might be treatable with
cell replacement therapies. A bioinformatics platform developed by
LifeMap is used to select the PureStem™ cells that are most
likely to be useful in developing cell-based regenerative medicine
therapies for a wide range of diseases.
About BioTime, Inc.
BioTime, headquartered in Alameda, California, is a biotechnology
company focused on regenerative medicine and blood plasma volume
expanders. Its broad platform of stem cell technologies is enhanced
through subsidiaries focused on specific fields of application. BioTime
develops and markets research products in the fields of stem cells and
regenerative medicine, including a wide array of proprietary PureStem™
cell lines, HyStem® hydrogels, culture media, and
differentiation kits. BioTime is developing Renevia™ (formerly
known as HyStem®-Rx), a biocompatible,
implantable hyaluronan and collagen-based matrix for cell delivery in
human clinical applications. BioTime's therapeutic product development
strategy is pursued through subsidiaries that focus on specific organ
systems and related diseases for which there is a high unmet medical
need. BioTime's majority owned subsidiary Cell Cure Neurosciences Ltd.
is developing therapeutic products derived from stem cells for the
treatment of retinal and neural degenerative diseases. BioTime's
subsidiary OrthoCyte Corporation is developing therapeutic applications
of stem cells to treat orthopedic diseases and injuries. Another
subsidiary, OncoCyte Corporation, focuses on the diagnostic and
therapeutic applications of stem cell technology in cancer, including
the diagnostic product PanC-Dx™ currently being developed for the
detection of cancer in blood samples. ReCyte Therapeutics, Inc. is
developing applications of BioTime's proprietary induced pluripotent
stem cell technology to reverse the developmental aging of human cells
to treat cardiovascular and blood cell diseases. BioTime's subsidiary
LifeMap Sciences, Inc. markets GeneCards®, the leading
human gene database, as part of an integrated database suite that also
includes the LifeMap Discovery™ database of embryonic
development, stem cell research and regenerative medicine, and MalaCards,
the human disease database. LifeMap Sciences also markets BioTime
research products and PanDaTox, an innovative, recently
developed, searchable database that can aid in the discovery of new
antibiotics and biotechnologically beneficial products. Asterias
Biotherapeutics, Inc. is a new subsidiary being used to acquire the stem
cell assets of Geron Corporation, including patents and other
intellectual property, biological materials, reagents and equipment for
the development of new therapeutic products for regenerative medicine.
BioTime's lead product, Hextend®, is a blood plasma
volume expander manufactured and distributed in the U.S. by Hospira,
Inc. and in South Korea by CJ CheilJedang Corporation under exclusive
licensing agreements. Additional information about BioTime can be found
on the web at www.biotimeinc.com.
Forward-Looking Statements
Statements pertaining to future financial and/or operating results,
future growth in research, technology, clinical development, and
potential opportunities for BioTime and its subsidiaries, along with
other statements about the future expectations, beliefs, goals, plans,
or prospects expressed by management constitute forward-looking
statements. Any statements that are not historical fact (including, but
not limited to statements that contain words such as "will," "believes,"
"plans," "anticipates," "expects," "estimates") should also be
considered to be forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements
involve risks and uncertainties, including, without limitation, risks
inherent in the development and/or commercialization of potential
products, uncertainty in the results of clinical trials or regulatory
approvals, need and ability to obtain future capital, and maintenance of
intellectual property rights. Actual results may differ materially from
the results anticipated in these forward-looking statements and as such
should be evaluated together with the many uncertainties that affect the
business of BioTime and its subsidiaries, particularly those mentioned
in the cautionary statements found in BioTime's Securities and Exchange
Commission filings. BioTime disclaims any intent or obligation to update
these forward-looking statements.
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