Celavie Biosciences Appoints Medical Advisory Team for Next-Generation Regenerative Medicine
Medical team seeks advances beyond mainstream stem cell
technology to cure degenerative diseases and injuries
OXNARD, Calif., January 10, 2010—Regenerative medicine start-up Celavie Biosciences LLC has appointed three prestigious medical innovators to its advisory team. The company’s R&D focuses on using regenerative stem cell therapies to repair tissues that have been damaged by disorders of the central nervous system by use, trauma, or chronic disease, such as Parkinson’s and Huntington’s diseases, which have no long-term treatments or cures.
“Treating the cause, not the symptoms, of central nervous system disorders is a primary focus for our team,” says CEO and President Sandy Solmon. “The global need for a cure is clear: 12% of deaths worldwide result from neurological disorders. We are committed to relieve that suffering with the innate restorative power of stem cells.”
The medical advisory team includes:
- Ignacio Madrazo, MD, MSc, Phd, FACS, FAANS, Principal Investigator, Phase I Trial—
Over 54 years of experience as a neurosurgeon, professor, and researcher; neurosurgeon at Mexico City’s Hospital Angeles Pedregal; a pioneer in the area of brain transplants; first to perform experimental transplantation of nerve cells taken from a human embryo; recognized by Mexico’s National Academy of Medicine for his work for the treatment of Parkinson’s; - Christopher M. Duma, MD, FACS, Principal Investigator, Phase II Trial and Clinical Advisor—
Over 30 years of experience as a board-certified neurosurgeon with specialties in surgical brain tumor management Gamma Knife and CyberKnife™ radiosurgery, and the surgical treatment of movement disorders; Medical Director of Hoag Memorial Hospital Presbyterian in Newport Beach, Calif.; and, - Abraham Lieberman, MD, Clinical Advisor—
Over 54 years of experience in the field of medicine specializing in movement disorders; international leader in the diagnosis and treatment of Parkinson’s; Medical Director for the Barrow Neurological Institute at Dignity Health St. Joseph’s Hospital and Medical Center; Founding Director of the Muhammad Ali Parkinson Center, which has been recognized as a National Parkinson Foundation Center of Excellence.
They join CEO and President Sandy Solmon, who also is the lead investor of Celavie, and who also serves as CEO and Founder of multinational Sweet Street Desserts®; Oleg Kopyov, MD, PhD, Executive Vice President and Chief Scientific Officer of Celavie; and Alex Kopyov, Vice President of Clinical R&D.
“In our trials, the primary end measure is always safety,” said Solmon. We are very encouraged by the progress the patients have exhibited to date.”
Both Celavie and veterinary subsidiary Celavet use the latest technological breakthroughs to produce large banks of undifferentiated allogeneic pluripotent stem cells with uniform qualities utilizing closed-system bioreactors. The cells are grown in a specialized patented medium that allows them to maintain their sterility and genetic stability over the course of the manufacturing process, with early trials demonstrating safety and the promise of efficacy. Celavet uses the same standardized and controlled production methods to establish equine, canine, and feline stem cell lines as those used by Celavie in the manufacture of human cells.
Celavie recently conducted the first-in-human trial of stem cells in Parkinson’s patients, with promising indications, and is now planning its Phase II clinical trials. Celavet is working to restore function in orthopedic conditions of large and small animals, with noticeable tissue repair observed in trials conducted on over 400 horses. Research in one area leads to innovation in another.
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