MELVILLE, N.Y., April 20, 2017 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- BioRestorative Therapies, Inc. ("BioRestorative" or the “Company") (OTCBB:BRTX), a life sciences company focused on stem cell-based therapies, today announced the Australia Patent Office (APO), a division of IP Australia - an agency of the Department of Industry, has issued a Notice of Acceptance for the Company’s patent application covering methods related to BioRestorative’s metabolic program (ThermoStem® Program). Following the Notice of Acceptance, the Company is required to pay the associated fees and the patent should be issued.
This will be the second patent issued for the Company’s brown fat technology, and follows a patent the Company was issued in the United States in November 2015.
Once issued in Australia, the final patent will allow for the protection of methods of generating stem cells and stem cell lines from brown adipose tissue (brown fat) under xeno-free (animal-free) conditions utilizing a proprietary differentiating medium. The technology is applicable for potential therapeutic uses for treating a wide range of degenerative and metabolic disorders, including but not limited to diabetes, hypertension, cardiac deficiency and obesity.
“This Notice of Acceptance on our patent application for the metabolic program is an important next step as we look to rapidly expand the intellectual property protection surrounding our brown fat program around the world,” said Mark Weinreb, President and CEO. “In particular, we are actively exploring a number of international opportunities, including grants and potential strategic partners, as we seek to advance the program toward clinical trials. We are excited about the potential of our proprietary stem cell technology in the treatment of metabolic disorders such as diabetes and hypertension.”
About BioRestorative Therapies, Inc.
BioRestorative Therapies, Inc. (www.biorestorative.com) develops therapeutic products using cell and tissue protocols, primarily involving adult stem cells. Our two core programs, as described below, relate to the treatment of disc/spine disease and metabolic disorders:
- Disc/Spine Program (brtxDISC™): Our lead cell therapy candidate, BRTX-100, is a product formulated from autologous (or a person’s own) cultured mesenchymal stem cells collected from the patient’s bone marrow. We intend that the product will be used for the non-surgical treatment of protruding and bulging lumbar discs in patients suffering from chronic lumbar disc disease. The BRTX-100 production process involves collecting a patient’s bone marrow, isolating and culturing stem cells from the bone marrow and cryopreserving the cells. In an outpatient procedure, BRTX-100 is to be injected by a physician into the patient’s damaged disc. The treatment is intended for patients whose pain has not been alleviated by non-invasive procedures and who potentially face the prospect of surgery. We have received clearance from the Food and Drug Administration to commence a Phase 2 clinical trial using BRTX-100 to treat chronic lower back pain due to degenerative disc disease related to protruding/bulging discs.
- Metabolic Program (ThermoStem®): We are developing a cell-based therapy to target obesity and metabolic disorders using brown adipose (fat) derived stem cells to generate brown adipose tissue (“BAT”). BAT is intended to mimic naturally occurring brown adipose depots that regulate metabolic homeostasis in humans. Initial preclinical research indicates that increased amounts of brown fat in the body may be responsible for additional caloric burning as well as reduced glucose and lipid levels. Researchers have found that people with higher levels of brown fat may have a reduced risk for obesity and diabetes.
Forward-Looking Statements
This press release contains "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, and such forward-looking statements are made pursuant to the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. You are cautioned that such statements are subject to a multitude of risks and uncertainties that could cause future circumstances, events or results to differ materially from those projected in the forward-looking statements as a result of various factors and other risks, including those set forth in the Company's Form 10-K filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission. You should consider these factors in evaluating the forward-looking statements included herein, and not place undue reliance on such statements. The forward-looking statements in this release are made as of the date hereof and the Company undertakes no obligation to update such statements.