Saneron was awarded a Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) grant from the National Institutes of Health to develop Sertoli cells combined with stem cells from cord blood for possible treatment of spinal cord injury. The $150,000 grant is the latest in a series of six SBIR/STTR grants that Saneron and USF have collaborated together on in their efforts to create cellular therapies for neurological disorders.

"The fact that we can use natural human cells instead of synthetic drugs to treat spinal cord injury is remarkable" said Cyndy Davis Sanberg, PhD, Vice President for Research at Saneron and principal investigator of the grant. "This new study should add greatly to our mission of developing cord blood stem cell therapies for repair of CNS injuries. Saneron is extremely pleased that the NIH has recognized the enormous potential of these cellular therapies by providing funding through these highly competitive grant programs." Additional studies will be needed before moving forward to human trials, she said.

"Cell therapy is on the cutting edge of the new frontier of medicine for many patients with diseases that are untreatable today," said Stephen Klasko, MD, MBA, Vice President for Health Sciences and Dean of the College of Medicine at USF. "Saneron represents an entrepreneurial approach in an academic setting that will help patients and grow economic development in Tampa."

In related news, on Sept. 14 the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (PTO) issued a patent to Don F. Cameron, PhD, and colleagues at the University of South Florida for the discovery of a method of transplanting cells using a Sertoli cell biochamber. This patent c
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Contact: Nicole Kuzmin-Nichols
nkn@saneron-ccel.com
813-866-6371
University of South Florida Health
17-Dec-2004