Tengion, Inc., a leader in regenerative medicine, announced the publication of a key study by researchers at Tengion. In the study, rodents with chronic kidney disease (CKD) were treated with healthy kidney cells to catalyze the regeneration of functional kidney tissue and delay disease progression, as evidenced by extended survival, improved kidney filtration, and reduced severity of kidney tissue pathology.
The published data demonstrate that delivery of a selected population of kidney cells to the kidney significantly extended long-term survival and improved kidney function in rodents with chronic kidney disease during 6 months of follow-up. Further, the therapeutic effects reported in this study were more pronounced and more durable than have been previously reported with this animal model.
"These data provide in-vivo proof-of-concept for a potentially transformational approach to preventing kidney failure," said Steven Nichtberger, M.D., president and CEO of Tengion. "Based on these data, over the past 2 years, Tengion scientists have worked with leaders in the field to design and initiate multiple studies evaluating the ability of our Neo-Kidney Augment product candidate to prevent kidney failure across a variety of chronic kidney disease models, including large mammals. We look forward to presenting initial scientific findings from these studies in the near future."
"Chronic kidney disease is a serious medical condition affecting millions of Americans and can lead to kidney failure requiring the need for transplant or lifelong dialysis," said David Gerber, M.D., an advisor to Tengion and Chief, Division of Transplantation, Department of Surgery, University of North Carolina. "A treatment approach that can increase kidney tissue and improve function would be a significant advancement in the care of these patients."
"The scientific community has historically considered that CKD develops from an imbalance between tissue damage and the kidney's ability to repair and regenerate itself," said Rusty Kelley, Ph.D., Senior Scientist at Tengion and the lead study author. "These preclinical data provide clear evidence that regeneration of functional renal tissue can delay progression of CKD."
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Read more…
Tengion News Release (09/13/10)
PR Newswire (09/13/10)
WTOC 11 (09/13/10)
Abstract (The American Journal of Physiology Renal Physiology; (09/08/10))