Cardio3 BioSciences establishes US subsidiary
Belgian biotechnology firm adds Rochester, MN operation
Belgian biotechnology company, Cardio3 BioSciences, a developer of regenerative and protective drugs for the treatment of cardiovascular diseases, has set up a subsidiary in Rochester, Minnesota, US to expand its activities in the US.
The Mont-Saint-Guibert firm has advanced the development of its core technology of adult autologous stem cell commitment to cardiac lineage C3BS-CQR-1 (C-Cure) for the treatment of heart failure.
The new subsidiary will support the expansion of Cardio3 BioSciences’ clinical and regulatory activities in the US and substantiate the early evidence of the feasibility, safety and efficacy of C-Cure in a larger-scale setting, as well strengthen its collaboration with Mayo Clinic and other organisations in the US.
Cardio3 BioSciences already has strong links with Rochester, MN since the key scientific work underlying its Cardiopoiesis technology platform, which is designed to reprogramme patient’s own stem cells to rebuild the heart, originated at Mayo Clinic.
In 2007, Mayo Clinic entered into a technology licensing agreement with Cardio3 BioSciences, giving it an exclusive worldwide licence to use the inventions related to the cardiopoiesis platform. Cardio3 BioSciences has since transferred the technology to a fully compliant pharmaceutical manufacturing environment and conducted a Phase II clinical trial showing the promise of this technology.
Dr Christian Homsy, chief executive of Cardio3 BioSciences, said in establishing its US subsidiary in Rochester, the company was ‘reinforcing our historical link with Mayo Clinic and strengthening our US presence before the start of the Phase III trials of C-Cure. We expect these phase III trials to start in 2012 and include centres in the US to confirm the encouraging Phase II results.’