LA JOLLA, Calif., Sept. 19 /PRNewswire/ -- Advanced Tissue Sciences, Inc.
(Nasdaq: ATIS) today announced the issuance of U.S. Patent No. 6,121,042
entitled Apparatus and Method for Simulating In Vivo Conditions While Seeding
and Culturing Three-Dimensional Tissue Constructs. The technology described
in the patent involves seeding cells onto a biocompatible scaffold and using a
closed system bioreactor apparatus to simulate physiologic conditions of
nutrient flow, stress and strain during the growth process that are similar to
those that would be encountered by the tissue once implanted into the body.
Individual specific tissue bioreactor patents in the areas of skin, cartilage,
cardiovascular and liver tissues have been previously received by the Company.
This newly issued patent expands Advanced Tissue Sciences' intellectual
property in the area of culturing three-dimensional tissues, using many
different cell types, in closed bioreactor systems.
"This allows us to grow tissue in an environment that simulates natural
conditions of the body, a critical feature of tissue engineering," said
Anthony Ratcliffe, Ph.D., Vice President of Research at Advanced Tissue
Sciences. "There are also several important implications to manufacturing and
quality control in tissue engineering that result from using bioreactors.
First, the process can be automated, so pumps automatically feed nutritional
fluid to the tissues for three or four weeks. Second, because the bioreactor
is a closed system, it remains sterile, whereas, with a petri dish, every time
you open it to feed the tissue, there's a potential for contamination. And
last, the bioreactor makes the process far more reproducible because you can
make sure the same forces act on the developing tissue whether you're growing
five at a time or a thousand at a time."
"Advanced Tissue Sciences' patent portfolio includes over 120 U.S. and
foreign patents which are directly owned by or licensed to the Company," said
Gail K. Naughton, Ph.D., President of Advanced Tissue Sciences. "This patent,
in conjunction with our core technology patent, strengthens our leadership
position in the advancing tissue engineering industry."
Advanced Tissue Sciences is a tissue engineering company utilizing its
proprietary core technology to develop and manufacture human-based tissue
products for tissue repair and transplantation. The Company has two joint
ventures with Smith & Nephew plc. The first covers the application of
Advanced Tissue Sciences' tissue engineering technology for skin wounds and
includes Dermagraft(R) for the treatment of diabetic foot ulcers,
TransCyte(TM) for the temporary covering of second and third-degree burns, and
future developments for venous ulcers, pressure ulcers, burns and other
non-aesthetic wound care treatments. The second joint venture is developing
tissue-engineered orthopedic cartilage, initially focusing on the repair of
cartilage in knee joints. The Company also has a strategic alliance with
Inamed Corporation for the development and marketing of several of Advanced
Tissue Sciences' human-based, tissue-engineered products for aesthetic and
certain reconstructive applications. In addition, the Company is developing
products for cardiovascular applications. For more information on Advanced
Tissue Sciences visit our web site at http://www.advancedtissue.com.
Statements in this press release that are not strictly historical may be
"forward-looking" statements which involve risks and uncertainties. No
assurances can be given that the patents referred to in this release or any
other patents of Advanced Tissue Sciences will afford protection against
competitors with similar technologies or processes, or that any such patents
will not be infringed upon or designed around by others. In addition, no
assurances can be given that the Company will be successful in developing
products based on such technology, establishing alliances with corporate
partners to commercialize this technology, completing clinical trials,
obtaining regulatory approvals of any such products (or that such products
will be approved on a timely basis), scaling up manufacturing processes, or
otherwise commercializing or significantly penetrating the market for any of
its products. These and other risks are detailed in publicly available
filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission including, without
limitation, Advanced Tissue Sciences' Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the
quarter ended June 30, 2000. The Company undertakes no obligation to release
publicly the results of any revision to these forward-looking statements to
reflect events or circumstances arising after the date hereof.
SOURCE Advanced Tissue Sciences, Inc.
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http://www.advancedtissue.com
Company News On-Call:
http://www.prnewswire.com/comp/532975.html or fax,
800-758-5804, ext. 532975
CONTACT:
Jana Stoudemire, Senior Director, Corporate
Communications, of Advanced Tissue Sciences, Inc., 858-713-7802
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