Toronto and Canada are among the top five centres with global impact in stem-cell research. Now MaRS Innovation (MI) and partner Mount Sinai Hospital are ready to translate potential into productivity in their commercialization of a bold new technology that targets diabetes, peripheral vascular disease, and neurological disorders.
Inventors Dr. Ian Rogers and Dr. Robert Casper of Mount Sinai’s Samuel Lunenfeld Research Institute have demonstrated in early pre-clinical data that their harnessing of multi-potent stem cells (MPSCs) from human umbilical-cord blood could positively impact multiple disease states. Prior to the discovery of the power of such harvested stem cells, the umbilical cord—which houses an abundance of such stem cells on a global scale—was discarded at birth.
As commercialization agent on the intellectual property, MI has successfully repositioned the technology to focus on diabetes application first. There are approximately 30 million insulin-dependent (Type 1) diabetics globally. Very few technologies currently under development, apart from the Mount Sinai invention, have the potential to replace insulin injections for diabetics. Research has shown that these MPSC cells secrete insulin in response to glucose, thereby mimicking the optimum physiological state.
“Research into stem cells is still largely at the pre-clinical stage internationally,” says MI President and CEO Dr. Rafi Hofstein. “MaRs Innovation has already moved aggressively on patent protection, and on leveraging additional funding from the Canadian Institute for Health Research Proof of Principle program, and from the Stem Cell Network Canada, part of an international consortium.”
While diabetes will be first, it won’t be last in the commercialization pipeline for the MPSC invention. MI is now exploring options to bundle this technology with other members’ manufacturing innovations in cell scale-up, and with a cell therapy in regenerative medicine.
