Summary:
Osiris Therapeutics is a clinical stage biotechnology company founded to commercialize stem cell products from a readily available and non-controversial source – adult bone marrow. These stem cells have the ability to repair different types of tissue and offer a very real opportunity to develop revolutionary new treatments for certain disease processes including immune disorders, heart attacks and arthritis.
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Description (Web site quote):
Osiris was founded in 1992 to commercialize stem cell products that are isolated from a readily available source – adult bone marrow. The technology is based on the pioneering work of Dr. Arnold Caplan and his colleagues at Case Western Reserve University. They showed that Mesenchymal Stem Cells (MSCs) can engraft and selectively differentiate, based on the tissue environment, to such lineages as muscle, bone, cartilage, marrow stroma, tendon and fat. Due to their cell-surface characteristics, MSCs are relatively non-immunogenic, allowing for the development of therapies that rely on the transplantation of MSCs derived from unrelated human donors.

As a result of Osiris’ early commitment to the development of adult stem cell therapeutics, we have developed an extensive intellectual property portfolio, both as licensed patents and as patents derived from work at the company. Osiris focused on commercialization of MSC technologies by gaining understanding of the cells’ actions and by evaluating therapies in animal models of disease. In recent years, the Company has sponsored clinical trials to evaluate safety and efficacy. In a testimony to the safety of universal donor-derived MSCs, the FDA has allowed the Company to proceed with a Phase II study for its first clinical application.

The primary thrust of the near-term business strategy revolves around the clinical development of products in three fields. The lead program provides MSC support for hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) after chemotherapy or radiation therapy. The goal is to treat graft-versus-host-disease (GVHD), a life-threatening complication of receiving hematopoietic stem cells from another individual. The cardiac program uses MSCs to improve heart function following myocardial infarction (MI) and congestive heart failure (CHF). Osiris has entered into a strategic alliance with Boston Scientific Corporation for this product area. In orthopedic applications, MSCs may be useful in regenerating meniscal tissue in the weeks following surgery for knee injuries, thus preventing arthritis.
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