Tengion Presents New Data Supporting Key Urologic and Kidney Programs at 16th Annual Meeting of the International Society for Cellular Therapy
EAST NORRITON, Pa., May 26, 2010 /PRNewswire via COMTEX/ --Tengion Inc. (Nasdaq: TNGN) today announced that its scientists have presented new research data in three podium presentations at the 16th Annual Meeting of the International Society for Cellular Therapy (ISCT) which was held May 23-26 in Philadelphia. These presentations highlighted key findings in Tengion's Neo-Urinary Conduit and Neo-Kidney Augment programs and provided further information about the company's work with various cell types -- adipose-derived smooth muscle cells and human kidney cells -- that support its current and planned clinical development programs.
"Our scientists and discovery team continues to build a robust base of scientific data and technology support that we feel strongly positions these programs for success. We look forward to additional preclinical and clinical data presentations this year," stated Tim Bertram, D.V.M., Ph.D., Senior Vice President of Science and Technology for Tengion. Scientific data presented at ISCT successfully demonstrate that an adipose tissue -- or fatty tissue -- biopsy could be a source of healthy smooth muscle cells which are then used in Tengion's manufacturing process to manufacture an autologous neo-organ. This method eliminates the need to procure cells from a failing or cancerous organ. These research findings support Tengion's lead product candidate, the Neo-Urinary Conduit, which is currently utilizing the adipose tissue biopsy method in an open-label, single-arm Phase I clinical trial in patients with bladder cancer. The Neo-Urinary Conduit is an autologous -- made from a patient's own cells -- implant that is intended to catalyze the regeneration of native-like bladder tissue for bladder cancer patients requiring a urinary diversion following surgical bladder removal.
Additionally, new research data were presented for the first time demonstrating that bio-active renal cells, like those used in Tengion's Neo-Kidney Augment program, can reduce the rate of loss of functional kidney mass in a chronic kidney disease model. Finally, new research data were also presented at ISCT confirming that renal cells being used in Tengion's preclinical models are present in diseased human tissue in patients with chronic kidney disease.
The Neo-Kidney Augment is Tengion's lead discovery program and is designed to prevent or delay the need for dialysis or kidney transplant by increasing functional renal mass in patients with advanced chronic renal disease, a significant unmet medical need. Tengion expects to announce further data for this program in the second half of this year.
These data presentations are available on Tengion's website at
http://www.tengion.com/news/documents.cfm.
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