Studies are anticipated to bolster drug testing technologies and development efforts.
VistaGen Therapeutics has expanded on its 10-year embryonic stem (ES) cell research alliance with Toronto’s University Health Network and its stem cell research affiliate, the McEwen Centre for Regenerative Medicine.
The new program builds on VistaGen’s existing licenses to ES cell intellectual property owned by Gordon Keller, Ph.D., director of the McEwen Centre. It will also covers new ES cell-based research projects. Taken together, VistaGen expects the studies to enhance drug testing and development equipment.
VistaGen will continue to leverage Dr. Keller’s ES cell biology expertise and technologies. The firm and Dr. Keller will jointly conduct research into advanced techniques to differentiate ES cells into mature cardiac, liver, and pancreatic beta-islet cells.
VistaGen anticipates that the partnership will advance its in vitro biological systems and bioinformatics databases for predictive toxicology applications.
The new ES cell-based research projects will be used for R&D in customized ES cell-based heart, liver, and pancreatic beta-islet cell differentiation systems for drug discovering.
