NEW YORK (GenomeWeb) – Aelan Cell Technologies said today it has reached a deal with Gladstone Institutes to further research on stem cell rejuvenation.
Aelan said it will conduct a comparative study to characterize its stem cell product against the current gold standard, induced pluripotent stem cells genetically reprogrammed by four factors discovered by Gladstone's Shinya Yamanaka, who with John Gurdon received the 2012 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for their discovery that mature cells can be converted to stem cells. The study, Aelan said, will allow it to test its technology's efficiency, complexity, and novelty.
Mennakshi Gaur of Aelan and Kathryn Ivey of Gladstone are heading the study.
Aelan said that by better understanding the molecular processes that enable human adult stem cells to initiate self-renewal, proliferation, and differentiation to rejuvenate damaged tissue, the company aims to progress regenerative medicine forward, possibly resulting in cures for many age-related diseases.
The San Francisco-based firm is also developing molecular diagnostics, and during this past summer, it partnered with Nuclea Biotechnologies to develop, validate, and commercialize novel biomarker tests and companion diagnostics.