‘Aging’ biotech AgeX to build Cali cell therapy plant

AgeX Therapeutics will construct a cGMP laboratory facility in Alameda, California to manufacture cell lines and its biological aging cell-based product candidates.

The biotech firm announced in an SEC filing that it has entered into an agreement to lease 23,911 square feet of space in Alameda, California. The space will be used as AgeX’s principal offices and research laboratory, but the firm also intends to construct a cGMP laboratory facility for the manufacture of cell lines and its cell-based product candidates at the Facility.

“We will be responsible for the maintenance and repair of the Facility, including electrical, plumbing, HVAC and other systems serving the Facility but excluding structural and other external portions of the building in which the Facility is located, and other external areas such as parking, landscaping and walkways associated with the building,” the firm said in the filing.

Image: iStock/DakotaSmith

AgeX will pay a monthly rent will be $35,866.50 (€31,900) for the initial 12 months and has also spent $40,000 on purchasing laboratory and other equipment from the sublessor.

Tech platforms

Formed in 2017, AgeX is focused on developing therapeutics targeting biological aging using its stem cell-derived technology platforms.

The firm’s PureStem technology – licensed for applications outside of orthopedics, medical aesthetics, and certain ophthalmological applications from BioTime – aims at generating pluripotent stem cell (PSC) lines for the development of its therapies.

“AgeX has chosen two applications for its initial product development based on unmet medical need along with other factors: First, Brown Adipose Tissue (BAT) cells for the treatment of type II diabetes and second, vascular endothelial progenitors for the treatment of age-related ischemic disease such as that leading to myocardial ischemia and infarction,” the firm says.

Meanwhile, the firm uses its HyStem delivery technology, a hydrogel that mimics the extracellular matrix to support cellular attachment in the body, to allow normal cellular function and survival of the transplanted cells.