MultiCell Technologies is Granted U.S. Patent for Immortalized Human Liver Cell Lines
August 20 2009 - 7:00AM
PR Newswire (US)
MultiCell Strengthens Its Liver Cancer Drug Target Identification
and Cancer Stem Cell Research Program WOONSOCKET, R.I., Aug. 20
/PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- MultiCell Technologies, Inc. (OTC:MCET)
(BULLETIN BOARD: MCET) announced today it has been granted U.S.
patent 7,566,567 by the United States of America Patent and
Trademark Office covering its Fa2N-4 and Ea1C-35 immortalized human
hepatocyte cell lines. The Fa2N-4 and Ea1C-35 immortalized human
hepatocyte cell lines were derived from normal human liver cells,
and are nontumorigenic, stable in culture, and produce therapeutic
plasma proteins in cell culture. The Fa2N-4 cell line has also been
engineered to function as a proxy for normal human liver cells for
use in performing drug toxicity assays. MultiCell has licensed
several pharmaceutical companies rights to use the Fa2N-4 cell line
for drug toxicity applications including Pfizer, Bristol-Myers
Squibb, and Eisai Pharmaceuticals. MultiCell licensed Corning, Inc.
to sell the Fa2N-4 cell line and media within the drug discovery
and life science research markets for drug toxicity (Tox)
applications as well as for drug adsorption, distribution,
metabolism and excretion (ADME) studies. MultiCell retained
worldwide exclusive ownership of the Fa2N-4 and Ea1C-35 cell lines
for all applications other than ADME/Tox, including drug target
identification and using the cell lines for the production of
therapeutic plasma proteins. MultiCell also owns exclusive
worldwide rights to two issued U.S. patents (6,872,389 and
6,129,911), one U.S. patent application (U.S. 2006/0019387A1), and
several corresponding issued and pending foreign patents and patent
applications related to the isolation and differentiation of human
liver stem cells. MultiCell previously announced it had entered
into a cooperative research and development agreement with Maxim
Biotech, Inc. to develop products for the study of human liver stem
cells and human liver cancer. The role of liver stem cells in the
carcinogenic process has recently led to a new hypothesis that
hepatocellular carcinoma in humans arises by maturation arrest of
liver stem cells. "MultiCell intends to use its human liver cell
and liver stem cell assets to identify therapeutic targets and new
drug candidates specifically targeting the treatment of primary
liver cancer and intrahepatic bile duct cancer," said Jerry Newmin,
Chairman & CEO of MultiCell Technologies. "We believe our
engineered human liver cell lines will play an important role as
proxies for normal human liver cells in our effort to identify drug
targets." The National Cancer Institute (NCI) in 2008 stated there
were approximately 21,400 new cases of hepatocellular carcinoma and
intrahepatic bile duct cancer in the United States, and
approximately 18,400 of those cases resulted in death.
Hepatocellular carcinoma, resulting from Hepatitis B and Hepatitis
C infection, is the most common cancer in some parts of the world,
with more than 1 million new cases diagnosed each year. The NCI
also reports that hepatocellular carcinoma is associated with
cirrhosis of the liver in 50% to 80% of patients. For more
information about MultiCell Technologies, please visit
http://www.multicelltech.com/ Caution Regarding Forward-Looking
Statements Any statements in this press release about MultiCell's
expectations, beliefs, plans, objectives, assumptions or future
events or performance are not historical facts and are
forward-looking statements for purposes of the Private Securities
Litigation Reform Act of 1995 (the "Act"). These statements are
often, but not always, made through the use of words or phrases
such as "believe", "will", "expect", "anticipate", "estimate",
"intend", "plan", "forecast", "could", and "would". Examples of
such forward looking statements include statements regarding the
timing, design, scope, and anticipated results of our clinical
development programs. MultiCell bases these forward- looking
statements on current expectations about future events. They
involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and assumptions that
may cause actual results, levels of activity, performance or
achievements to differ materially from those expressed or implied
by any forward-looking statement. Some of the risks, uncertainties
and assumptions that could cause actual results to differ
materially from estimates or projections in the forward-looking
statement include, but are not limited to, the risk that we might
not achieve our anticipated clinical development milestones,
receive regulatory approval, or successfully commercialize our
products as expected, the market for our products will not grow as
expected, and the risk that our products will not achieve
expectations. For additional information about risks and
uncertainties MultiCell faces, see documents MultiCell files with
the SEC, including MultiCell's report on Form 10-KSB for the fiscal
year ended November 30, 2008, and all our quarterly and other
periodic SEC filings. MultiCell claims the protection of the safe
harbor for forward-looking statements under the Act and each assume
no obligation and expressly disclaim any duty to update any
forward-looking statement to reflect events or circumstances after
the date of this news release or to reflect the occurrence of
subsequent events DATASOURCE: MultiCell Technologies, Inc. CONTACT:
W. Gerald Newmin, Chairman & CEO, MultiCell Technologies, Inc.,
+1-401-762-0045, Web Site: http://www.multicelltech.com/
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