Oberdorf, Switzerland, July 25, 2017 / B3C newswire / -- Unicyte AG, a pioneering leader in human liver stem cells and nano-extracellular vesicles, announced today the formation of its inaugural Scientific Advisory Board with the appointments of Professors Giovanni Camussi, Camillo Ricordi and Paul Robbins.
The board will work closely with Unicyte’s management team to accelerate the company’s lead candidate programs for treating diabetes, non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, diabetic nephropathy and renal cancer. In addition, it will provide scientific advice for the collaboration between Unicyte and Italy’s University of Turin, in order to foster innovation and new research programs.
“We are thrilled to establish a Scientific Advisory Board for Unicyte with some of the world’s leading experts in regenerative medicine, diabetes, metabolic disease and aging as we move our therapeutic programs toward clinical validation,” said Florian Jehle, CEO of Unicyte and Vice President, Technology & Innovation Management within Research & Development at Fresenius Medical Care.
Unicyte originated from the long-standing research collaboration between Fresenius Medical Care, the world’s leading provider of products and services for individuals with renal diseases, and Professor Camussi, a top expert in nano-extracellular vesicles and stem cells at the University of Turin. Now an independent affiliate of Fresenius Medical Care, Unicyte has a broad preclinical pipeline focusing on kidney and liver disorders, diabetes and oncology, and will work with partners when needed to advance these therapeutic programs.
The three new members of the Scientific Advisory Board are all highly respected scientists, with international reputations for their research and extensive work on important scientific bodies:
• Giovanni Camussi is Professor and Chairman of Nephrology in the Internal Medicine and Medical Sciences departments at the University of Turin’s School of Medicine and Biotechnology. His research focuses on the purification and characterization of stem cell-derived nano-extracellular vesicles and the characterization of their coding and non-coding RNA (ribonucleic acid) molecules. In particular, he has investigated the paracrine action of nano-extracellular vesicles.
• Camillo Ricordi is Professor of Surgery and Director of the Diabetes Research Institute and the Cell Transplant Program at the University of Miami. He led the team that performed the first series of successful clinical islet allotransplants to reverse diabetes, a procedure now used worldwide by laboratories performing clinical islet transplants.
• Paul D. Robbins is Professor of Molecular Medicine at the Scripps Research Institute in Jupiter, Florida and Director of its Center on Aging. His research focuses on developing therapeutic approaches to extend health and reduce frailty using mouse models of aging.(1)
Dr. Daniel Gau, Unicyte’s Chief Operating Officer and Head of Business Development, said: “Our Scientific Advisory Board comes at the right time to endorse our leading position in the fields of human liver stem cells and nano-extracellular vesicles, as we are anticipating first partnerships for future commercialization. At the same time, the board will guide Unicyte in identifying new areas of focus and potentially disruptive therapies, for the benefit of our patients.”
About Unicyte AG
Unicyte AG is a preclinical stage regenerative medicine company with a focus on kidney and liver disorders, diabetes and oncology. Unicyte evolved from a long-term research collaboration of Italy’s University of Turin and Fresenius Medical Care. Unicyte is headquartered in Oberdorf NW, Switzerland, and is an independent affiliate of Fresenius Medical Care, the world’s largest provider of products and services for people with chronic kidney failure.
About Fresenius Medical Care
Fresenius Medical Care is the world’s largest provider of products and services for individuals with renal diseases, of which around 3 million patients worldwide regularly undergo dialysis treatment. Through its network of 3,654 dialysis clinics, Fresenius Medical Care provides dialysis treatments for 310,473 patients around the globe. Fresenius Medical Care is also the leading provider of dialysis products such as dialysis machines or dialyzers. Along with the core business, the company focuses on expanding the range of related medical services in the field of Care Coordination. Fresenius Medical Care is listed on the Frankfurt Stock Exchange (FME) and on the New York Stock Exchange (FMS).
About the University of Turin / MBC Turin
The Molecular Biotechnology Center (MBC) at the University of Turin, active since September 2006, has the main objective to bring together investigators with different scientific backgrounds to facilitate an interdisciplinary approach to biomedical research. The Center is actively involved in biotechnological research in the field of biomedical sciences, with specific focus on the study of the molecular mechanisms at the basis of physiopathological processes that have a significant impact on human health, such as cardiovascular diseases, inflammation, cancer and stem cell biology. These research efforts are mainly based on the development of the most advanced molecular imaging technology, bioinformatic analysis and the generation of mouse and zebrafish models.
Disclaimer
This release contains forward-looking statements that are subject to various risks and uncertainties. Actual results could differ materially from those described in these forward-looking statements due to certain factors, including changes in business, economic and competitive conditions, regulatory reforms, foreign exchange rate fluctuations, uncertainties in litigation or investigative proceedings, and the availability of financing. These and other risks and uncertainties are detailed in Fresenius Medical Care AG & Co. KGaA’s reports filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. Fresenius Medical Care AG & Co. KGaA does not undertake any responsibility to update the forward-looking statements in this release.
Contacts
Media Contact
Martin Kunze
+49 6172 609-2115
martin.kunze@fresenius.com
Contact for analysts and investors
Dr. Dominik Heger
+49 6172 609-2601
dominik.heger@fmc-ag.com
