Parcell Laboratories, developer of novel therapeutics based on its patented adult stem cell platform technology, the ELA cell, is partnering with the University of Pittsburgh Medical Centre (UPMC) to study a new stem cell-based wrinkle reduction treatment. The novel treatment would use "off-the-shelf" allogeneic adult stem cells, rather than requiring the extraction of a patient's own stem cells that are then processed and reimplanted in a separate procedure.

The two organizations are collaborating on an ongoing study comparing the ELA cell platform technology with adipose-derived stem cells typically extracted from a patient's own fatty deposits.

The benefits of stem cell therapies on wrinkle reduction are becoming increasingly apparent. However, current stem cell treatments frequently require the patient to undergo two procedures -- one to extract their own cells from their body for isolation, and the other to reimplant them at the treatment site. Parcell Laboratories' ELA cells provide a means of simplifying any stem cell-based medical procedures aimed at reducing wrinkles by enabling the surgeon to implant stem cells without requiring an initial extraction procedure, thereby offering a one-step, off-the-shelf treatment option for patients.

"ELA cells have the potential to change how we think of dermal stem cell therapies," said Colin White, Ph.D., chief scientific officer at Parcell Laboratories. "They can be isolated in larger quantities than usually associated with other adult stem cells, thus requiring less downstream processing. In addition, a side-by-side comparison of the ELA cell with another type of adult stem cell revealed a superior ability of the ELA cell to differentiate into adipose tissue. Our collaboration with the UPMC will explore whether these differentiators would make the ELA cell an ideal alternative to today's most common treatments for wrinkle reduction."

Stem cell-based wrinkle reduction therapies offer several advantages over the more common botulinum toxin-based treatments in which the toxin is injected into affected areas. They act by augmenting the body's natural ability to heal without the use of large doses of exogenous compounds, making them more biologically relevant than toxin-based procedures. Current evidence suggests that the lasting effects of stem cell therapy may surpass those of other dermal treatments.

"The University of Pittsburgh Medical Centre has a longstanding commitment to exploring the therapeutic benefits of regenerative medicine," said Kasey Marra, Ph.D., associate professor at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Centre and co-director of the Adipose Stem Cell Centre. "The potential of stem cell-based therapies to repair dermal tissue, whether scars or wrinkles, deserves serious exploration and we hope that our collaboration with Parcell Laboratories to study the effectiveness of this treatment will lead to better therapies in this clinical area."