Science and Technology
Axordia’s science base is unparalled in the stem cell space. Axordia was founded by Professor Peter Andrews and Professor Harry Moore and who work as joint Chief Scientific Officers of the company. Axordia has maintained a strong link with their research programmes at Sheffield University and holds a pipeline agreement, which provides it exclusive access to intellectual property developed by the University’s Centre for Stem Cell Biology, which they co-direct.
Peter and Harry provide the company with access to scientific expertise that extends across the human embryonic stem cell (HESC) space. Their individual expertise is complementary and provides a breadth of know-how reaching from HESC derivation through cell maintenance to the control of cell differentiation. This is complemented by an industry experienced management team focussed on delivering effective functional products to the life science and pharmaceutical industries.
Axordia has a number of HESC lines deposited with the UK Stem Cell Bank and importantly these are fully consented and their provenance is known. The GMP derivation centre opened in Sheffield provides it with the capability to derive therapeutic grade cell lines suitable for use in clinical trials and an exclusive arrangement with CARE Limited for the supply of blastocysts will ensure that the number of Axordia’s proprietary HESC lines will continue to grow.
In addition intellectual property on key enabling technologies such as RNAi, Wnt and Notch provide Axordia with precise tools to control and influence differentiation processes. Control of differentiation together with this developing suite of biomarkers provides the capability to deliver products for drug screening.
Axordia has therapeutic programmes on specific cell lines including RPE cells and cytotrophoblast-derived endovascular cell lines as well as other derived cell types. These endovascular cell lines have several important and powerful properties – anti-inflammatory response, the generation of localised immune privileged sites and vascular remodelling. Axordia's first application of these is as a regenerative stent for cardiovascular disease. Future applications include cell and organ transplantation. Axordia already has significant Intellectual Property covering these.
Finally the company is working with industrial partners to develop a suite of specific and relevant biomarkers that will be provided as quality control and quality assurance kits for use with HESCs and derived cell lines.
