MELVILLE, N.Y., Sept. 24, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- BioRestorative Therapies, Inc. ("BioRestorative" or the “Company") (OTC: BRTX), a life sciences company focused on stem cell-based therapies, today announced that the Company has entered into a one-year material transfer agreement with the University of Pennsylvania providing the University access to the Company’s proprietary brown adipose tissue (“brown fat”) fat cells.
The research is intended to advance our understanding of the biology and the role of brown fat tissue in metabolic disorders. Brown fat is recognized as playing a role in caloric burning, as well as potentially regulating glucose and lipid levels.
The contemplated research proposes studying both primary adipose tissue and adipocyte cells differentiated in culture. Research will focus on measuring specific RNAs, proteins, gene regulatory elements, and metabolites of interest, and also unbiased profiling by methods including RNA-seq, ChIP-seq, and ATAC-seq (to assess gene expression, transcription factor genomic occupancy, and accessible chromatin, respectively).
Dr. Raymond Soccio’s laboratory at the University of Pennsylvania’s Institute for Diabetes, Obesity, and Metabolism will lead the research effort. He aims to discover mechanisms by which genetic variation in non-coding regulatory regions of the genome creates a predisposition towards metabolic diseases like diabetes, obesity, and dyslipidemia, and how this may be exploited for precision medicine. Soccio is an assistant professor of Medicine in the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania.
“My lab is dedicated to better understanding the biology of human brown fat, which has great therapeutic potential,” Dr. Soccio said. “BioRestorative has success in procuring this valuable tissue and culturing brown fat cells, while we study its basic molecular and genetic mechanisms.”
Mark Weinreb, Chief Executive Officer of BioRestorative Therapies, said, “We are excited to collaborate with the University of Pennsylvania to advance our brown fat platform in order to develop potential cell therapies for a variety of metabolic disorders. It is an honor to work with Dr. Soccio and his team at the University of Pennsylvania who are among the foremost experts in the field of metabolic diseases.”
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 painful lumbosacral disc disorders. The BRTX-100 production process utilizes proprietary technology and 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 authorization from the Food and Drug Administration to commence a Phase 2 clinical trial using BRTX-100 to treat persistent lower back pain due to painful degenerative 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.
CONTACT:
Email: ir@biorestorative.com