Human pancreatic epithelial progenitor cells and methods of isolation and use thereof

Patent Number: 7078231

This patent deals with the problem that the majority of pancreatic progenitor cells known at the time of filing are only capable of differentiating into islets but not other cells in the pancreas. Specifically, the patent cites patents 5,888,705 (Compositions and method of stimulating the proliferation and differentiation of human fetal and adult pancreatic cells ex vivo) and 5,834,308 (In vitro growth of functional islets of Langerhans ) as examples of this limitation. The current patent has 2 independent claims. The first is a method of providing cell therapy, the cell therapy being a population of progenitor cells that are capable of differentiating into islets, acinar, and ductal cells. The second independent claim is similar with the exception that the cells are administered in the kidney capsule of the recipient. The senior inventor is the President and CSO of Raven Biotechnologies from San Francisco and her email is jennie@ravenbio.com

View this patent on the USPTO website.