PITTSBURGH, PA — Imagine Pharma, a biotech company focused on advancing the commercialization of its novel IMG-1 polypeptide in Oral Delivery, Therapeutics, and Regenerative Medicine, announced today that the West Virginia University (WVU) Health System, which operates under the brand WVU Medicine, has awarded a contract to the Company to provide human clinical islet isolation services for patients undergoing a total pancreatectomy and autologous islet cell transplant (TPAIT). TPAIT is a surgical procedure to remove the diseased pancreas, harvest the insulin-secreting islet cells of the pancreas, then reinfuse or transplant those cells into the patient to manage blood sugar. Pancreatectomy without the islet transplant would result in diabetes or the inability to regulate blood sugar.
The WVU Health System is the state's largest health system and largest private employer, operating 21 hospitals. Its flagship hospital, WVU Medicine J.W. Ruby Memorial Hospital, has been nationally recognized as an approved NPF Center by the National Pancreas Foundation for its focus on multidisciplinary treatment of pancreatitis.
"Autologous islet transplantation offers a reliable, scalable, cost-effective approach to chronic or total pancreatitis, providing patients with reduced pain and better quality of life," said Brian Boone, M.D., Surgical Oncologist at the WVU Cancer Institute and Assistant Professor in the Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Cell Biology at the WVU School of Medicine. "We are excited to work with Imagine Pharma as we grow our islet cell transplantation program."
Imagine Pharma has successfully completed the first islet isolation procedure for WVU Medicine, which was performed by Imagine Pharma at the Cook MyoSite facility in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
"We look forward to working with the team at WVU Medicine to support their work in this critical area and contribute to better outcomes for their patients," said Dr. Rita Bottino, Director of Islet Services at Imagine Pharma, and an expert in the field of islet isolation.
