San Diego, California, January 31, 2013 — ViaCyte, Inc., a leading regenerative medicine company focused on developing new approaches to treat major diseases through the application of a stem cell-derived cell therapy, announced today that the Company was granted 20 patents worldwide in 2012, eight U.S. and twelve foreign. These patents bolster the Company’s already strong proprietary position for its ground-breaking diabetes product, VC-01, as well as other applications of its broad technology platform.

VC-01 is a very promising, development-stage product that consists of pancreatic precursor cells (called PEC-01) derived from a proprietary human embryonic stem cell line and encapsulated in a proprietary, immune isolating medical device (the ENCAPTRA® device). When implanted under the skin in suitable animal models, the cells further differentiate into insulin producing and other endocrine cells that regulate blood glucose in a manner similar or identical to a normal pancreas. If VC-01 performs in humans as it has in animal studies, it could effectively cure type 1 diabetics and be an important new therapy for insulin dependent type 2 diabetics.

ViaCyte’s significant intellectual property portfolio now includes over 300 issued patents and pending applications related to the growth, directed differentiation and use of human pluripotent stem cells such as human embryonic stem cells and induced pluripotent stem cells. This portfolio includes 51 issued U.S. and foreign patents specifically directed to the Company’s VC-01 product. In addition to the protection afforded by patents, the Company also relies on significant proprietary know-how to develop its product offerings.

Read more: http://viacyte.com/press-releases/viacytes-role-as-a-leading-cell-therapy-company-bolstered-with-the-issuance-of-20-patents-in-2012/

MALVERN, Pa., January 28, 2013 – TetraLogic Pharmaceuticals today announced that the Japan 
Patent Office (JPO) issued a Decision to Grant the company a patent that claims birinapant, a Smac 
mimetic currently in Phase 2 clinical studies for the treatment of various cancers. The allowed Japanese 
patent application, JP 2007-557249, has claims directed to the class of Smac mimetics that encompasses 
birinapant as a new chemical entity (NCE) and to drug products comprising birinapant and structurally 
related Smac mimetics. 
 
A Decision to Grant is issued after the JPO makes a determination that a patent can be granted from an 
application. The issued patent would have a term that expires no earlier than in 2026. 
 
This application is part of an expanding international patent portfolio for TetraLogic with Japan being the 
ninth country to acknowledge the patentability of the company’s Smac mimetics. Others include the 
United States, People's Republic of China, Eurasian Patent Office (which incudes Russia), Australia, 
India, Mexico, Singapore and South Africa. Additional counterpart patent applications are pending 
examination in Europe, Brazil, Canada, Israel, and Korea. 

Read more: http://files.shareholder.com/downloads/AMDA-2C8MW4/2989657472x0x707411/04e4f92e-1b68-43e7-840e-d6480321c1cf/707411.pdf

Type 1 and type 2 diabetes results when beta cells in the pancreas fail to produce enough insulin, the hormone that regulates blood sugar.  One approach to treating diabetes is to stimulate regeneration of new beta cells. 

There are currently two ways of generating endocrine cells (cell types, such as beta cells, that secrete hormones) from human embryonic stem cells, or hESCs: either generating the cells in vitro in culture or transplanting immature endocrine cell precursors into mice.

Researchers from the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine, collaborating with scientists from San Diego-based biotech company ViaCyte, Inc., looked at the differences and similarities between these two types of hESC-derived endocrine cell populations and primary human endocrine cells, with the longer-term goal of developing new stem cell therapies for diabetes.

Read more: http://ucsdnews.ucsd.edu/pressrelease/next_steps_in_potential_stem_cell_therapy_for_diabetes