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Inauguration of Inbiobank

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27.11.2006

Inbiobank was inaugurated on the 22 of November, being the first bank of stem cells in the Basque Country. Located at San Sebastián Technological Park, the cell bank is an initiative of the Inbiomed Foundation.

Inbiobank is a non profit-making bank of stem and primary cells the function of which is to produce and characterise such cells for their use in applied research, both basic and clinical.

Inbiobank’s installations have technologically pioneering, state-of-the-art equipment. Its cell production plant has ISO 9001- 2000 quality certification and it works in and operates with GMP (Good Manufacturing Practices) conditions, thus guaranteeing the clinical quality of the cells produced. Moreover, these installations have been authorised as pharmaceutical laboratories (Nº 4206 E) by the Spanish Medication Agency to carry out clinical trials (PEI 05-057) using somatic cell therapy, only the second throughout Spain with such authorisation.

About adult stem cells

Adult stem cells are responsible for cellular and tissue regeneration and are located in various tissues of the body. Generally these are extracted from easily-accessible tissues with high capacity for renovation, such as bone marrow, skin, intestine and fatty tissue.

Thanks to their potential therapeutic and regenerative activity, adult stem cells provide multiple possibilities for the treatment of many pathologies. Moreover, given their adult origin, they are free of the legal and ethical problems associated with stem cells originating from other sources.

Basic research at Inbiomed

Currently, Inbiomed is working on three main lines of basic research, all based on the study of adult stem cells of human origin and that come from a number of different tissues:

· bone marrow, umbilical cord and adipose tissue stem cells

· skin stem cells

· neuronal stem cells

Within these lines of research, Inbiomed is studying the mechanisms, both genetic and biochemical, that intervene in the multiplication and differentiation of these cells in the various body tissues as well as in their biological function. The quest is also to find ways of reconstituting in vitro the environment in which these adult stem cells multiply and differentiate.

Clinical research at Inbiomed

The Inbiomed Foundation is participating, together with the Spanish Consortium for Epidermolisis Bullosa in clinical trials (PEI 05- 057) the aim of which is to test the efficacy and safety of a new treatment for Epidermolisis Bullosa, and based on the use of engineered chimeric bilaminar skin (produced artificially in the pharmaceutical laboratory), and compare it with a current commercial treatment.

Irati Kortabitarte | Source: alphagalileo
Further information: www.elhuyar.com
www.basqueresearch.com/berria_irakurri.asp?Gelaxka=1_1&hizk=I&Berri_Kod=1098

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