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Monday, November 23, 2015 12:44:47 PM
$PMCB An All-New Means of Treating Type 1 Diabetes (Arguably a Cure) is Still in the Works
Pharmacyte Biotech Inc. (OTCMKTS:PMCB) is better known for its work in the field of pancreatic cancer, but what it effectively an artificial pancreas is the company's biggest opportunity... and it's moving that R&D forward too.
So much focus of late has been put on the fact that Pharmacyte Biotech Inc. (OTCMKTS:PMCB) is working on a novel treatment for a wide swath of pancreatic cancer patients that simply have no compelling treatment option, it's been easy to overlook the fact that the company is developing the same basic biotechnology - called Cell-in-a-Box(r) - as a means of treating (and, arguably, effectively curing) type 1 diabetes. The company reminded the market of this factoid today, however, telling investors it recently played host to the 2nd annual meeting of the International Diabetes Consortium... a group put together by Pharmacyte Biotech for the express purpose of developing a diabetes therapy unlike anything else out there.
The biotechnology at the heart of PharmaCyte's solution is, as was mentioned, called Cell-in-a-Box. Pharmacyte Biotech developed Cell-in-a-Box as a way of depositing encapsulated, living, normally-functioning cells into a particular part of the body so their presence could drive a therapeutic benefit.
It's as much of a process as it is a biotech structure.
The first step in their creation is a mix of live cells (that ultimately spur or even become the therapy) and a proprietary polymer that is then dropped into another proprietary polymer. The two polymers react to form a solid object about the size of the head of the pin, with the still-living cells beneath the shell of the tiny sphere. Though only a few millimeters across, the number of living cells inside the tiny bead-sized capsule can be in the thousands.
As for how the technology could be used to treat type 1 diabetes , the encapsulated cells are insulin-producing Melligen cells. Melligen cells have been genetically engineered to produce, store and secrete insulin at levels in proportion to the levels of blood sugar in the human body. Just like a diabetic's own islet cells would recognize the presence of glucose and start producing insulin, the cells inside the PharmaCyte capsule are able to sense high levels of glucose and respond by producing an appropriate amount of insulin. A handful of these pinhead-sized capsules containing Melligen cells can replace the insulin-producing function of the pancreas from some other site in the body.
The real breakthrough, though, is the encapsulation polymer itself.
The shell of the pinhead-sized capsule keeps the cells inside, yet lets insulin out, while allowing nutrients in, and waste out. Most important though, the shell keeps the body's own immune system from killing these cells.... something most previous encapsulation approaches didn't do. All too often in the past, person's immune system would see foreign cells as a threat, attacking and eventual killing those cells.
There's still work to be done. Cell-in-a-Box as a treatment pathway for type 1 diabetes is currently in the preclinical testing phase, although it was recently determined to be safe as a means of treating type 1 diabetes by the University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna. Based on the results witnesses in the preliminary studies at the university, the company aims to move forward with plans that will ultimately result in human trials. In that the approach actually restores a body's insulin-producing capability though, the implantation of encapsulated Melligen cells truly and accurately could be described as an artificial pancreas.
Fast-forward to today. Just this week, all the people who had or have a hand in the development of Cell-in-a-Box as a means to treat type 1 diabetes recently meat in Vienna, Austria to discuss the next steps necessary to proverbially move the ball downfield. It's an encouraging milestone not just for PMCB investors, but for diabetics as well.
PharmaCyte CEO Kenneth L. Waggoner explained "The data presented at the meeting of the International Diabetes Consortium clearly show that PharmaCyte is making excellent progress in developing what we believe will become a new game-changing therapy for insulin-dependent diabetes - a debilitating and even life-threatening disease with an ever increasing incidence that affects so many around the world. The marriage of Cell-in-a-Box(r) with the unique Melligen cells to create a true "bio-artificial pancreas" that is both long-lived and effective will be key to treating this devastating disease."
Foe investors, it's a nice reminder that the company has not one but two distinct developments in the pipeline, and the diabetes one - though not as far down the R&D road as the pancreatic cancer therapy - brings with it the far bigger revenue opportunity.
http://www.pharmacytebiotech.com/
Pharmacyte Biotech Inc. (OTCMKTS:PMCB) is better known for its work in the field of pancreatic cancer, but what it effectively an artificial pancreas is the company's biggest opportunity... and it's moving that R&D forward too.
So much focus of late has been put on the fact that Pharmacyte Biotech Inc. (OTCMKTS:PMCB) is working on a novel treatment for a wide swath of pancreatic cancer patients that simply have no compelling treatment option, it's been easy to overlook the fact that the company is developing the same basic biotechnology - called Cell-in-a-Box(r) - as a means of treating (and, arguably, effectively curing) type 1 diabetes. The company reminded the market of this factoid today, however, telling investors it recently played host to the 2nd annual meeting of the International Diabetes Consortium... a group put together by Pharmacyte Biotech for the express purpose of developing a diabetes therapy unlike anything else out there.
The biotechnology at the heart of PharmaCyte's solution is, as was mentioned, called Cell-in-a-Box. Pharmacyte Biotech developed Cell-in-a-Box as a way of depositing encapsulated, living, normally-functioning cells into a particular part of the body so their presence could drive a therapeutic benefit.
It's as much of a process as it is a biotech structure.
The first step in their creation is a mix of live cells (that ultimately spur or even become the therapy) and a proprietary polymer that is then dropped into another proprietary polymer. The two polymers react to form a solid object about the size of the head of the pin, with the still-living cells beneath the shell of the tiny sphere. Though only a few millimeters across, the number of living cells inside the tiny bead-sized capsule can be in the thousands.
As for how the technology could be used to treat type 1 diabetes , the encapsulated cells are insulin-producing Melligen cells. Melligen cells have been genetically engineered to produce, store and secrete insulin at levels in proportion to the levels of blood sugar in the human body. Just like a diabetic's own islet cells would recognize the presence of glucose and start producing insulin, the cells inside the PharmaCyte capsule are able to sense high levels of glucose and respond by producing an appropriate amount of insulin. A handful of these pinhead-sized capsules containing Melligen cells can replace the insulin-producing function of the pancreas from some other site in the body.
The real breakthrough, though, is the encapsulation polymer itself.
The shell of the pinhead-sized capsule keeps the cells inside, yet lets insulin out, while allowing nutrients in, and waste out. Most important though, the shell keeps the body's own immune system from killing these cells.... something most previous encapsulation approaches didn't do. All too often in the past, person's immune system would see foreign cells as a threat, attacking and eventual killing those cells.
There's still work to be done. Cell-in-a-Box as a treatment pathway for type 1 diabetes is currently in the preclinical testing phase, although it was recently determined to be safe as a means of treating type 1 diabetes by the University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna. Based on the results witnesses in the preliminary studies at the university, the company aims to move forward with plans that will ultimately result in human trials. In that the approach actually restores a body's insulin-producing capability though, the implantation of encapsulated Melligen cells truly and accurately could be described as an artificial pancreas.
Fast-forward to today. Just this week, all the people who had or have a hand in the development of Cell-in-a-Box as a means to treat type 1 diabetes recently meat in Vienna, Austria to discuss the next steps necessary to proverbially move the ball downfield. It's an encouraging milestone not just for PMCB investors, but for diabetics as well.
PharmaCyte CEO Kenneth L. Waggoner explained "The data presented at the meeting of the International Diabetes Consortium clearly show that PharmaCyte is making excellent progress in developing what we believe will become a new game-changing therapy for insulin-dependent diabetes - a debilitating and even life-threatening disease with an ever increasing incidence that affects so many around the world. The marriage of Cell-in-a-Box(r) with the unique Melligen cells to create a true "bio-artificial pancreas" that is both long-lived and effective will be key to treating this devastating disease."
Foe investors, it's a nice reminder that the company has not one but two distinct developments in the pipeline, and the diabetes one - though not as far down the R&D road as the pancreatic cancer therapy - brings with it the far bigger revenue opportunity.
http://www.pharmacytebiotech.com/
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