Ambys Medicines opens cell therapy manufacturing facility, presents data on liver cell data

Privately-held Ambys Medicines has announced that it has opened a 52,000-ft² facility dedicated to hepatocyte manufacturing. The facility is certified to current Good Manufacturing Practices (cGMP) regulations.

The company, based in South San Francisco, California, also presented data on its novel bioreactor manufacturing at the Joint Congress of the International Xenotransplantation Association, IXA-CTRMS-2021.

Focused on developing novel treatments of severe liver disease, Ambys says it expects its lead program to enter the clinic in early 2023.

“The concept of hepatocyte transplantation with donor cells has been explored in academic settings for over 20 years,” said Dr. Ron Park, CEO of Ambys Medicines, in a statement. “These past efforts showed that mature hepatocytes were active and that the approach was safe, but further progress has been limited by the inability to generate adequate quantities of high-quality hepatocytes sufficient to drive clinic…

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Noninvasive liver exam plays role in fighting viral hepatitis and fatty liver disease

 The FibroScan device pictured here assesses liver stiffness using Echosens patented VCTE technology.

Millions of Americans who are living with hepatitis C virus (HCV) will develop a chronic infection that, if left untreated, can cause serious health problems, including liver disease, cirrhosis, liver failure and liver cancer. More than one-third of HCV-infected individuals progress to advanced fibrosis and cirrhosis, and among those with cirrhosis, about 3–5% per year develop decompensated cirrhosis or hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC).

Nearly one-third of Americans have asymptomatic liver disease, also known as fatty liver disease (FLD). Approximately 85 million Americans have nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). In addition, a total of 20% have its more severe form, nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH).

Liver disease often leads to developing other issues, such as advanced fibrosis, increased risk…

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