Sistemic joins £5m arthritis stem cell research project

By Peter Ranscombe
Published on Wednesday 8 February 2012 00:07

A LIFE sciences firm at the cutting edge of stem cell research has secured a €5.9 million (£4.9m) investment to help develop a treatment for rheumatoid arthritis.

Glasgow-based Sistemic will work with Belgium-listed Ti-Genix and scientists from Oxford University on the project.

Other researchers from France, the Netherlands and Spain will also contribute to the research, which is being funded by the European Union.

Dr Vincent O’Brien, Sistemic’s chief science officer, said: “We are honoured to be working with TiGenix and Cellerix, its Spanish subsidiary, as well as partners from all over Europe.

“Sistemic will provide in-depth data during the clinical trial. This will be a critical part of the development and subsequent production process.

“We look forward to collaborating with all of the consortium members on this important project as we are supportive of the potential of cell therapy products to bring real benefits to those patients suffering from rheumatoid arthritis.”

Sistemic – which analyses cells on behalf of drugs developers and tells them what effect their new medicines are having – was set up by chief executive Jim Reid, who sold Aberdeen University spin-out Haptogen to global drugs giant Wyeth in 2007, just five years after the company was launched.

That deal was one of the largest to involve a Scottish life sciences company.

In December, Sistemic was awarded a £130,000 regional selective assistance grant from the Scottish Government, which – when coupled with the company’s own rising cash flow – will form a £1m investment in the company’s expansion.

The firm is due to relocate from Glasgow University to the West of Scotland Science Park this year and will more than double its staff to 18.

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