ANN ARBOR — Velcura Therapeutics has been awarded nearly $1.5 million by the National Institute of Diabetes & Digestive & Kidney Diseases, which will include a look-see at stem cells found in the bones of children and adults – not the controversial embryonic stem cells.

The grant specially charges Velcura with a study of how primitive cells develop into mature bone-forming cells for work with such diseases as osteoporosis. Velcura investigates how human bone cells function as part of its work developing novel therapies for bone diseases such as osteoporosis.

"This grant will allow Velcura Therapeutics to extend our research program to the earliest cells that can develop into mature, bone-forming cells known as osteoblasts," said CEO Michael Long. "From this research, Velcura will be able to discover the molecules and cellular pathways involved in this process."

Velcura's grant investigates the control of stem cells found in the bone marrow of children and adults and their relationship to early and mature bone cells. Bone marrow stem cells are known to produce blood cells. However, recent evidence points to a capacity for marrow-derived stem cells to produce other cell-lineages such as bone.

Indeed, bone marrow transplants have been used to treat children with Ontogenesis Imperfecta, also known as brittle bone disease.

"An important aspect of these investigations is to improve our understanding of stem cell function," Long said. "This requires careful studies of bone marrow stem cells as well as embryonic stem cells, as the latter are the gold standard for developmental cell biology studies."

Although Velcura does not work on embryonic stem cells, Long said that the company hopes its investigations will provide important information on how to guide primitive cells into becoming bone cells, identifying therapeutic targets along the way. One eventual goal, although not part of this grant's research, is to design therapies that recruit more cells into the bone cell lineage thus providing an endogenous increased capacity to make new bone.

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