IRVINE, Calif. – July 17, 2018 – AIVITA Biomedical, a biotech company specializing in innovative stem cell applications, announced today that the Company has received $1.7 million in funding as part of a California Institute for Regenerative Medicine (CIRM) grant to treat vision loss. The funding will help fund a collaborative study between AIVITA Biomedical and the Sue & Bill Gross Stem Cell Research Center at the University of California, Irvine. AIVITA will develop three-dimensional retina sheets created from human stem cells to be transplanted into the back of the eye to replace lost retina and improve visual acuity. Dr. Seiler’s laboratory, part of the UCLA-UCI Alpha Stem Cell Clinic (ASCC), will conduct the transplantation study.

The CIRM funding represents a vote of confidence in AIVITA’s ROOT OF SIGHT technology to treat retinal disease. The treatment, manufactured at AIVITA using proprietary human stem cells and intellectual property, takes aim at retinitis pigmentosa and age-related macular degeneration.

“We’re honored to be working with the CIRM Alpha Stem Cell Clinics Network on this promising treatment,” said Dr. Gabriel Nistor, Chief Science Officer of AIVITA Biomedical. “Their functional testing capabilities and our commercially scalable manufacturing methods represent a perfect partnership.”

Funding for the new grant comes from CIRM Translational Award TRAN1-10995 entitled “Morphological and functional integration of stem cell derived retina organoid sheets into degenerating retina models.”

About Retinal Disease

Retinitis pigmentosa affects an estimated 1 in 4,000 people. It is a genetic disease which causes vision loss, decreased night vision and decreased peripheral vision. Macular degeneration, or age-related macular degeneration (AMD), is a leading cause of vision loss in Americans 60 and older. Macular degeneration results in blurred or no vision in the center of the visual field. There are currently no cures for retinitis pigmentosa or macular degeneration.

About AIVITA Biomedical

AIVITA Biomedical is a privately held company engaged in the advancement of commercial and clinical-stage programs utilizing curative and regenerative medicines. Founded in 2016 by pioneers in the stem cell industry, AIVITA Biomedical utilizes its expertise in stem cell growth and directed, high-purity differentiation to enable safe, efficient and economical manufacturing systems which support its commercial line of skin care products and therapeutic pipeline. All proceeds from the sale of AIVITA’s ROOT OF SKIN^TM skin care products support the treatment of women with ovarian cancer.

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