BresaGen, IGN sign agreement to produce and distribute specialized stem cell delivery device.

BresaGen Limited, Thebarton, South Australia, through its wholly owned US subsidiary BresaGen, Inc., and Image-Guided Neurologics (IGN), Melbourne, FL, announced an agreement to produce and distribute a specialized catheter which is intended to be used for delivery of stem cells into the brain.

Under terms of the agreement, IGN will develop the proprietary catheter for BresaGen, which has an exclusive license to commercialize the device. BresaGen says it will test the cell delivery catheter in pre-clinical sponsored research studies at Stanford University, the University of Toronto, the University of Minnesota and the University of Virginia. BresaGen says IGN has first rights to negotiate an exclusive agreement for distribution of the cell delivery catheter once US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval has been obtained.

The company believes the cell delivery device can play a role in the treatment of Parkinson's disease. BresaGen reports studies have demonstrated that Parkinson's disease symptoms can be improved by transplanting dopamine-secreting cells into the striatum of the brain, with accurate cell delivery a critical part of the procedure. A proprietary catheter and method for delivering living cells into patients with neurological diseases, such as Parkinson's, would be a major step in the commercialization of the treatment.