Intercytex Group welcomes announcement of Pfizer - UCL collaboration

Intercytex Group plc (LSE: ICX) (“Intercytex”), a developer of regenerative medicine products, today welcomed the announcement by Pfizer, Inc of a collaboration and licence agreement with University College London (UCL) focused on developing stem cell-based therapies for certain ophthalmic conditions.

Following its acquisition of Axordia in December 2008, Intercytex is now working with the London Project to Cure Blindness, a collaboration between the UCL’s Institute of Ophthalmology, Moorfields Eye Hospital, London and the Centre for Stem Cell Biology, Sheffield.

Through applying regenerative medicine technologies, the project aims to develop a cure for agerelated macular degeneration (AMD), the leading cause of blindness in the elderly. Dry AMD is known to be associated with defects in the retinal pigment epithelial (RPE) cells. In exchange for research funding, and royalties, Axordia is providing UCL with the embryonic stem cell line (SHEF-1) for differentiation into RPE cells. The London Project to Cure Blindness aims to restore vision by replacing a patient’s RPE cells in the macular of the eye with new RPE cells derived from SHEF-1.

Nick Higgins, Intercytex’ CEO, commented: “We welcome this significant endorsement by Pfizer of the potential of stem cell research. While there are existing therapies to treat the less common wet form of AMD, there are currently no therapies to treat dry forms of the disease.”

Published: 24th Apr 2009 - 13:58:37
Modified: 24th Apr 2009 - 13:59:16