LONDON, ONTARIO--(Marketwire - March 3, 2011) - Sernova Corp. (TSX VENTURE:SVA) is pleased to announce the Company will present results of preclinical studies with its Cell Pouch System(TM), at the Canadian Society of Transplantation 2011 Annual Scientific Conference at Mt-Tremblant, Quebec, Canada held March 2-5.
The conference brings together eminent scientists and clinicians in the cell and organ transplantation field from across Canada and around the world. Sernova will be making three poster presentations entitled:
"The establishment of a stringent large animal model of insulin-dependent diabetes"
"A subcutaneous Cell Pouch(TM) as an alternative to intraportal infusion of islets of Langerhans to restore carbohydrate control in the diabetic recipient," and
"Islets transplanted into a subcutaneous Cell Pouch(TM) demonstrate long-term efficacy measured by C-peptide."
"The conference provides a venue to discuss the attributes of Sernova's novel Cell Pouch System(TM) as an alternate site for insulin-producing islet transplantation and its potential for additional cellular therapies with leaders from the medical transplantation community,"stated Delfina Siroen, Sernova's Research and Development Head.
The Cell Pouch System(TM) is a proprietary medical device which may offer a revolutionary improvement over the current practice of injecting therapeutic cells into blood vessels. Based on previous pre-clinical research, the Cell Pouch System(TM) becomes a vascularised organ-like endocrine structure when placed in the body, providing the microcirculation thought to be essential to early function and long-term survival of therapeutic cells. Sernova has conducted efficacy studies in small and large animal models of diabetes and shown the device with insulin-producing islets to control blood glucose levels long-term without the need for daily insulin injections. Sernova believes the Cell Pouch System(TM) has the potential for a wide range of uses in cell therapy including the treatment of diabetes, haemophilia, spinal cord injury, Parkinson's disease and other chronic debilitating diseases.
According to the American Diabetes Association approximately 9 million Americans require insulin injections and it is the sixth leading cause of death in the United States. One out of every 8 dollars spent on health care in the United States is spent on treating diabetes and its complications. Worldwide expenditures on insulin alone are estimated to be $15 billion annually and growing.
About Sernova
Sernova Corp. is a Canadian-based health sciences company focused on product development and commercialization of innovative proprietary platform medical technologies in the cell therapy arena such as the Cell Pouch System(TM) to provide a safe and efficacious environment for therapeutic cells and Sertolin(TM), a technology which, when combined with cell therapy, may protect therapeutic cells without the need for patients to take anti-rejection drugs.
For further information contact:
Philip Toleikis, Ph.D., President and CEO
Tel: (604) 961-2939
info@sernova.com
www.sernova.com
