Press Release – Salt Lake City, Utah and Los Angeles, CA – December 19, 2016 (PRBUZZ) — Leonhardt’s Launchpads, an organ regeneration focused innovation/startup accelerator, focused on developing novel therapeutics for the treatment of organ degeneration today announced that it has filed a new provisional patent application for the controlled expression of platelet derived growth factor (PDGF). PDGF is a powerful organ regeneration protein. This patent will be sub-licensed exclusively organ by organ to 25 unique organ regeneration focused startups within the Leonhardt led innovation accelerators in Utah and California including BioLeonhardt heart, AortaCell aorta, CerebraCell brain, EyeCell eye, Stem Cell Bra breast and PancreaCell for pancreas regeneration.
“We targeted the discovery search for the precise bioelectric signal for triggering PDGF expression from tissues more than 4 years ago and were delighted to finally hit on it with a highly substantial expression increase with our optimized signal. This adds to our building library of over a dozen bioelectric stimulation signals for promoting organ regeneration. We believe this combined with our programmable micro-infusion pump and fifteen component organ regeneration composition puts our team in a leadership position to in the near future help patients with degenerating and diseased organs to recover.” Dr. Jorge Genovese, VP of Bioelectric Regeneration Research at BioLeonhardt LTP, Cal-X Stars Business Accelerator, Inc. and Leonhardt’s Launchpads Utah, Inc.
The Leonhardt-Genovese team working in collaboration with component suppliers has developed both wireless non-invasive and implantable wire lead based means to get their regeneration and healing promoting bioelectric signals to organs.
Platelet-derived growth factors (PDGF) constitute a family of four gene products (PDGF-A–D) acting by means of two receptor tyrosine kinases, PDGFRα and β. Three of the ligands (PDGF-A, -B, and -C) bind to PDGFRα with high affinity.
PDGF’s Properties for Organ Regeneration:
- PDGF signaling is essential for epicardial cell proliferation.
- PDGF PDGF signaling plays important roles in coronary vessel formation.
- PDGF induces DNA synthesis in cardiomyocytes.
- PDGF (a protein) recruits stem/progenitor cells.
- PDGF can trigger controlled cell proliferation.
- PDGF can contribute to cell reprogramming and transformation into induced multipotent stem cells.
- PDGF downstream effects include regulation of gene expression and the cell cycle.
- PDGF can be used to create cell-specific antifibrotic compounds including those needed for liver regeneration.
- PDGFs are required for normal kidney development via recruitment of mesenchymal cells to both glomeruli and the interstitium.
- PDGF exerts essential roles from the gastrulation period to adult neuronal maintenance by contributing to the regulation of development of preplacodal progenitors, placodal ectoderm, and neural crest cells to adult neural progenitors, in coordinating with other factors.
- PDGF plays critical roles for maintenance of many specific cell types in the nervous system together with vascular cells through controlling the blood brain barrier homeostasis.
- PDGF modulates neuronal excitability through adjusting various ion channels, and affecting synaptic plasticity and function.
- PDGF stimulates survival signals, majorly PI3-K/Akt pathway but also other ways, rescuing cells from apoptosis.
- PDGF in dendrite spine morphology is critical for memory in the developing brain.
- PDGF has been found to stimulate regeneration of peridontal tissues and bone.
- PDGF has been found to highly stimulate hair regeneration.
“PDGF signaling was found years ago to be essential in regeneration of hearts in animals. Researchers demonstrated that PDGF signaling induces DNA synthesis in the cells and is required for cardiomyocyte proliferation during heart regeneration. We began using PDGF in our biological pacemaker development in the 1990’s and found it worked well to help form new sino atrial node cells from atrial myocytes. PDGF has been found useful in regeneration of other organs such as eyes, lungs, kidneys, brains, hair and aortas. We now have learned to harness the controlled natural release of this super potent regenerative protein via a specific bioelectric stimulation signal.” states Howard Leonhardt, co-Inventor.
“PDGF is one of the most potent growth factors in promoting cell, tissue and organ repair applicable to a wide variety of uses. It has been demonstrated to be especially useful in heart regeneration. We are proud to have extended our portfolio of bioelectrical stimulation signals to include PDGF. We are embarking upon well controlled translation research studies to prove our combination therapy out for regenerative repair of a number of organs.” states Dr. Leslie Miller, Chief Medical Officer of Leonhardt’s Launchpads and BioLeonhardt.
About Leonhardt’s Launchpads:
Operated by Cal-X Stars Business Accelerator, Inc. Leonhardt’s Launchpads was founded in Santa Monica in 2013 and just recently moved to 177 E. Colorado Blvd. in Pasadena, CA. The five year accelerator is incubating 26 regenerative medtech and 4 regenerative economy startups and licensable technology platforms (LTPs).
About Leonhardt’s Launchpads Utah, Inc.:
Founded in November 2015 in Salt Lake City, Utah, just off the campus of the University of Utah, is the World’s First Organ Regeneration Focused Innovation/Startup Accelerator. The company has lab space with a staffed research team at the USTAR BioInnovations Gateway Utah facility at 2500 S. State Street, Salt Lake City, Utah. The accelerator is currently incubating 7 organ regeneration focused startups.
About Leonhardt Ventures (Leonhardt Vineyards LLC DBA Leonhardt Ventures):
Founded in 1982 is the patent holding vehicle and venture capital arm of inventor Howard J. Leonhardt. In the 1980’s Leonhardt developed a market leading cardiovascular balloon catheter, in the 1990’s the leading stent graft system for aortic aneurysm repair and one of the first percutaneous heart valves and biological pacemakers. Since 2000 the focus has been on organ regeneration technologies with a combination of bioelectric signaling and repeat delivery of mixed stem cell + growth factor based compositions. Leonhardt has over 21 U.S. Patents with over 100 issued patent claims and dozens more pending.
About BioLeonhardt:
BioLeonhardt LTP founded in 2013 is the flagship technology platform of Leonhardt Ventures and Leonhardt’s Launchpads Utah, Inc. focused on heart regeneration. BioLeonhardt developed a combination three component system for heart regeneration comprised of (1) a bioelectric stimulator controlling release of regenerating promoting proteins including a stem cell homing factor, (2) an implantable, programmable and re-fillable micro infusion pump and (3) a fifteen component stem cell based heart regeneration composition.
Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements:
Statements in this press release regarding the efficacy, safety, and intended utilization of Capricor’s product candidates; the conduct, size, timing and results of discovery efforts and clinical trials; scope, duration, validity and enforceability of intellectual property rights; plans regarding regulatory filings, future research and clinical trials; plans regarding current and future collaborative activities and the ownership of commercial rights; future royalty streams, and any other statements about Cal-X Stars Business Accelerator, Inc, Leonhardt Vineyards LLC DBA Leonhardt Ventures, or Leonhardt’s Launchpads Utah, Inc. management team’s future expectations, beliefs, goals, plans or prospects constitute forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Any statements that are not statements of historical fact (including statements containing the words “believes,” “plans,” “could,” “anticipates,” “expects,” “estimates,” “should,” “target,” “will,” “would” and similar expressions) should also be considered to be forward-looking statements. There are a number of important factors that could cause actual results or events to differ materially from those indicated by such forward-looking statements. More information about these and other risks that may impact our business are set forth in our 506D part C Cal-X Stars Businesss Accelerator, Inc. private placement memorandum originally filed in 2013 and updated via our Annual Reports. All forward-looking statements in this press release are based on information available to us as of the date hereof, and we assume no obligation to update these forward-looking statements.
Note – Each organ specific web site linked via Leonhardt Ventures www.leonhardtventures.com has at the bottom or the tope of its landing page a link to supporting scientific articles.
Web Sites:
Leonhardt Ventures www.leonhardtventures.com – this site includes links to all portfolio startups.
BioLeonhardt LTP www.bioleohard1stg.wpenginepowered.com
Cal-X Stars Businesss Accelerator, Inc http://calxstars.com/what-we-do/ includes links to videos of platform innovations.
Leonhardt’s Launchpads Utah, Inc. http://leonhardtventures.com/leonhardts-launchpads-utah/
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