Dive Brief:
- San Diego-based ViaCyte has received $20 million up front in the deal, including a rights fee and a convertible note.
- The investigational diabetes type 1 therapy (VC-01) involves the production of pancreatic progenitor cells derived from human stem cells.
- ViaCyte filed an investigational New Drug Application for VC-01 with the FDA that was approved last week.
Dive Insight:
The development of VC-01 is a collaborative effort between ViaCyte, the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation (JDRF), and the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine. According to PharmaTimes, ViaCyte officials say that its upcoming phase I/II trials for VC-01 represent "the first ever clinical evaluation of a stem cell-derived islet replacement therapy for the treatment of patients with type 1 diabetes.