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Tissera, Inc. (OTCBB: TSSR – News) reports
encouraging interim results of its ongoing large animal model experiments
of pancreatic xenotransplantation, designed for the future treatment of
insulin-dependent (type I) diabetes mellitus.
In these experiments, conducted by Tissera sponsored research team at the
Weizmann Institute of Science, embryonic pig pancreatic tissues, harvested
within an optimal gestational time window previously identified by the
company's research team, were transplanted into non human primates.
The transplanted tissues were followed for various periods and under
various immunosuppressive regimens for survival, structural and functional
growth and proliferation within the recipient primates.
A follow-up of seven weeks after transplantation showed marked engraftment
and tissue growth, with considerable proliferation activity of the
transplanted cells. The pig embryonic pancreatic implants were shown to be
largely vascularized by the host primate blood vessels, a fact likely to
provide a significant benefit for the successful acceptance and thriving
of the graft and for the company's future goal of using minimal immune
suppression in transplanted patients. Furthermore, the ability to produce
insulin was also demonstrated by specific staining for intra-cellular
insulin presence.
Subsequent large animal model experiments of pig pancreatic
xenotransplantation are currently conducted by Tissera sponsored research
team. Those and future additional experiments will be needed to further
strengthen and consolidate the encouraging results which have been
obtained so far. It is the company's hope and belief that this extensive
research effort in the non human primate model will help demonstrate the
scientific and technical feasibility of its unique therapeutic approach,
thus paving the way for the conduction of human clinical studies for the
treatment of insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus.
Diabetes mellitus is a severe and debilitating chronic disease that
develops in nearly 5 percent of the world’s population. People with this
disease have a shortage of insulin or a reduced ability to use insulin,
the hormone regulating blood glucose levels, which is normally produced by
the pancreas. In the United States alone, an estimated 18 million people
have diabetes, and each year about 1 million Americans are diagnosed with
the disease. It is the sixth leading cause of death in the US and is
responsible for over 200,000 deaths a year. Insulin-dependent (type I)
diabetes accounts for around 10% of diabetics. For those patients,
suffering from an inability of their pancreas to produce insulin, the only
practical treatment possible is regular insulin replacement by multiple
daily injections. Transplantation of a pancreas or pancreatic tissue would
be beneficial to millions of such patients in that it would restore their
normal ability to produce self insulin. Transplantation of human pancreas
or pancreatic islets is a practiced and time-honored such therapeutic
approach, but is extremely limited by the severe shortage of human donor
organs. Tissera's R&D efforts in this domain are directed towards the
development of a universally available and reliable source of animal fetal
donor pancreatic precursor tissue, suitable for transplantation and
eventual normal structural and functional growth in human diabetics.
About Tissera
Tissera is a biotechnology company dedicated to the development of novel
tissue precursor regeneration technologies for treating gene deficiencies
and diseases in which organ transplantation is necessary, while minimizing
the dosage of immunosuppressive drugs. Tissera obtained the license for
the worldwide exclusive rights to the technology developed by Professor
Yair Reisner and his team at the Weizmann Institute of Science in Israel.
In this research, scientists successfully implanted in mice embryonic
human and porcine organ precursor tissues, which grew into functional
organs. This research was published in Nature Medicine and attracted
worldwide scientific and media attention.
Safe Harbor Statement
"Statements in this document that are not purely historical are
forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements in this release
include statements regarding our developing technology into a useful
product, our moving forward with our plans for trials, and our plans to
expand the Company's infrastructure. Actual outcomes and our actual
results could differ materially from those in such forward-looking
statements. Such statements, including statements regarding freedom to
operate, patentability, infringement, clinical trials, involve significant
risks and uncertainties and actual results could differ materially from
those expressed or implied herein. Factors that could cause such
differences include, but are not limited to, risks associated with new
product development (including clinical trials outcome and regulatory
requirements/actions), competitive risks to marketed products and
availability of financing that could cause actual results to differ
materially include risks and uncertainties such as the inability to
further finance our plans and unforeseen technical difficulties in
developing our technology, which could among other things, delay or
prevent product development and our planned results. For further risk
factors see the Company's 10-KSB filed with the SEC for our latest fiscal
year."
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CONTACT: Tissera Inc.
Dr. Uri Elmaleh
uri@tissera.com
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