Israeli biotechnology company Kadimastem announced it has received patent allowance from the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO), for its innovative technology in the field of diabetes treatment.

The patent is for a method of producing insulin-secreting cells from stem cells, and it is likely to constitute the foundation for the company’s products in the field of stem-cell based treatment of diabetes.

Additionally, the company is in the process of receiving approval for the patent in Europe, Japan, Canada, Australia and Israel.

Kadimastem is working to develop innovative treatments for a number of severe diseases by transplanting cells and tissues differentiated from human stem cells.

Yossi Ben-Yossef, Kadimastem’s CEO, noted, “We are happy about the approval of the patent in the United States and the strengthening of our intellectual property in general and in the field of diabetes in particular. Kadimastem develops innovative treatments in the field of stem cells - a highly demanded field in medicine. In addition, as the US market is the largest market for the company’s future products, the granting of the patent in the US is particularly important”.

Diabetes is a family of chronic disease characterized by high blood sugar levels and sugar intolerance due to insulin deficiency, impaired insulin effectiveness or both. The two types of diabetes, diabetes type I and diabetes type II, are different in their causes and clinical representation of the disorder. According to estimates, there were over 415 million diabetes patients worldwide in 2014, and the figure is expected to exceed 642 million in 2040. The American Diabetes Association (ADA) estimates the cost of diabetes patients in the United States alone in 2012 (the last year for which there are complete data) at $245 billion per year. The global cost is estimated at $673 billion, and is expected to reach $790 billion by 2040.