Former U.S. Secretary of Energy and Texas Governor, Rick Perry, Names Two Texas Companies as Leading Innovators in the Fight Against COVID-19

Celltex Therapeutics obtains approval from FDA to evaluate Celltex’s Mesenchymal Stem Cells as prevention against COVID-19 and Medistar Corporation’s biodefense HVAC filter to destroy nearly 100% of the virus

HOUSTON–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Celltex Therapeutics Corporation, a Houston, Texas-based biotechnology company and a leader in Mesenchymal Stem Cell (MSC) banking and technology, recently announced that it has received approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to proceed with the Company’s COVID-19 Phase II clinical trial evaluating Celltex-produced autologous (one’s own) adipose tissue(fat)-derived Mesenchymal Stem Cells (AdMSCs) to provide immune support and prevent COVID-19. Medistar Corporation, a medical real estate company specializing in healthcare projects, and researchers in Texas have developed an air conditioning system that can “catch and kill” coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) in an effort to help both essential workers, schools and the general public combat the COVID-19 pandemic.

Former United States Secretary of Energy and Texas Governor, Rick Perry, recently listed both companies’ promising technologies during a national cable news broadcast when he discussed potential treatments to protect the public from the coronavirus. As a vaccine can take years to develop, Rick Perry has been paying close attention to treatments and therapies that are both effective and available and wants to ensure that the public is aware that there is hope on the horizon with new medical technology.

“With the continued spread of COVID-19, Americans are looking for immediate hope and want to hear a message from leaders that there are opportunities and therapies that are not too far out into the future and that can fight this virus,” said Mr. Perry. “Celltex Therapeutics’ clinical trials to demonstrate Celltex’s MSCs ability to be a powerful preventative against COVID-19, as well as a development from another company, Medistar Corporation, which worked with researchers to create a biodefense filter that goes into HVAC systems and kills 99.8% of the virus. These are incredible breakthroughs that could help curb the spread of COVID-19 in people’s bodies and their environments. Concerning Medistar’s biodefense filter in particular, it could represent an opportunity to enable our kids to return to school in September.”

Celltex’s Phase II multi-center, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study to evaluate the safety and prophylactic efficacy of MSCs to prevent COVID-19 was approved to proceed by the FDA based on Celltex’s long history of producing its own proprietary MSCs in its cGMP FDA-compliant lab for more than 9,000 therapies administered without any adverse reaction. Celltex is currently enrolling 200 subjects in the study who are classified as at higher risk for contracting COVID-19 (https://www.clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT04428801) and who have not been infected. (Read more…) One hundred subjects will receive intravenous infusions of autologous MSCs produced by Celltex while 100 will receive placebo treatments. The primary efficacy endpoint of the study is to evaluate overall safety of Celltex’s MSCs. The secondary objective is to demonstrate the efficacy of Celltex’s MSCs as a prophylactic therapy for those at a high risk of contracting coronavirus to mitigate respiratory, pulmonary and pneumonia co-morbidities.

“Celltex has dedicated years to researching safety and efficacy of using its own proprietary MSCs for those suffering from injuries, pain and maladies associated with autoimmune, vascular and other debilitating diseases, including inflammatory lung conditions, pneumonia and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Global studies utilizing MSCs have shown promising results for combatting symptoms and complications associated with COVID-19, and as a leading commercial MSC banking and technology company, Celltex has the unique ability to transition these initial findings into a clinical trial. I am optimistic that our findings will result in favorable outcomes that will improve lives today and for generations to come,” said David G. Eller, Celltex Chairman and Chief Executive Officer.

Medistar Corporation and a team of researchers from University of Houston and Texas A&M University worked together to design and fabricate an efficient air disinfection system based on heated nickel (Ni) foam to catch and kill SARS-CoV-2. Virus test results at the Galveston National Laboratory revealed 99.8% of the aerosolized SARS-CoV-2 was caught and killed by a single pass through a Ni-foam-based filter when heated up to 200 °C. Additionally, the same filter was also used to “catch and kill” 99.9% of Bacillus anthracis, an airborne spore. This study paves the way for preventing transmission of SARS-CoV-2 and other highly infectious airborne agents in closed environments, such as schools, daycares, hotels, restaurants, airplanes, office buildings, churches, cruise ships and more. The peer-reviewed study can be found published in Material Physics Today.

“Monzer Hourani’s technology is the only technology proven to ‘catch and kill’ actual SARS-CoV-2 on contact, instantaneously. When deployed, this technology will have a dramatic impact in helping decrease indoor transmission of COVID-19 and other biological pathogens,” said Dr. Garrett Peel, MD, Executive VP of Medistar Corporation & Founding Partner of Integrated Viral Protection.

ABOUT CELLTEX THERAPEUTICS

Founded in 2011, Celltex Therapeutics Corporation is a Houston, Texas-based biotechnology company and a pioneer in Mesenchymal Stem Cell (MSC) technology. The company is the nation’s leading commercial MSC banking company and focuses on spearheading breakthroughs in regenerative medicine using MSCs. Celltex uses its own proprietary technology to isolate, cryopreserve and culture hundreds of millions of superior grade MSCs in its state-of-the-art, current Good Manufacturing (cGMP) and FDA-compliant laboratory. Celltex-produced MSCs are used in regenerative therapies for injuries and chronic pain, as well as many other conditions, including vascular, degenerative and autoimmune diseases. Celltex’s intellectual property (IP) portfolio encompasses over 1,500 clients, who have received over 9,000 MSC therapies for various diseases without incurring any adverse events. To learn more about Celltex, visit www.celltexbank.com.

ABOUT MEDISTAR CORPORATION

Medistar Corporation is a real estate development company headquartered in Houston, Texas. As it has for over 45 years, Medistar specializes in the development, financing and acquisition of real estate across the United States. Complementing its longstanding focus of medical real estate development, Medistar actively develops multifamily, hospitality, entertainment, commercial, and mixed-use projects. In Houston, Medistar is developing the iconic 50-story Innovation Tower to complement its recently completed 35-story, 374-unit LATITUDE Med Center apartment tower and 22-story, 353-key InterContinental Houston – Medical Center hotel at the Texas Medical Center. Please visit http://www.medistarcorp.com/ for more information.

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Lisa Spence

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