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Developmental Biology Clues
Important discoveries have emerged in the area of developmental biology related to tissue
micro-environment (TME), which includes the neighboring cells, extracellular matrix, and the
vascular, mechanical, bio-electric, and neural components of organs. TME has been found to
contain an endless array of hormones, morphogens, signaling molecules, and corresponding
gradients, critical for guiding growth, differentiation, gene expression, and regional configuration
throughout the body.
However, what has become increasingly evident is that post-development tissues exhibit
very different morphogenic profiles than they do during development.
As such, introducing development phase tissues, such as stem cells, into them for regeneration
purposes, has proven a very difficult strategy to implement because the cells and TME are
speaking conflicting languages. Failure to control the synergistic aspects of this
cell/micro-environment development interplay, has been a key limiting factor for success in the
field to date. As such, most clinical work undertaken with adult stem cells, as well as animal
models with embryonic and induced pluripotent stem cells (iPS), have shown very minimal
regenerative outcomes, and only modest transient therapeutic effects.
Modulation of TME, to move from a morphostatic to a morphogenic development state, is
essential for the establishment of complete regeneration in humans.
Important discoveries have emerged in the area of developmental biology related to tissue
micro-environment (TME), which includes the neighboring cells, extracellular matrix, and the
vascular, mechanical, bio-electric, and neural components of organs. TME has been found to
contain an endless array of hormones, morphogens, signaling molecules, and corresponding
gradients, critical for guiding growth, differentiation, gene expression, and regional configuration
throughout the body.
However, what has become increasingly evident is that post-development tissues exhibit
very different morphogenic profiles than they do during development.
As such, introducing development phase tissues, such as stem cells, into them for regeneration
purposes, has proven a very difficult strategy to implement because the cells and TME are
speaking conflicting languages. Failure to control the synergistic aspects of this
cell/micro-environment development interplay, has been a key limiting factor for success in the
field to date. As such, most clinical work undertaken with adult stem cells, as well as animal
models with embryonic and induced pluripotent stem cells (iPS), have shown very minimal
regenerative outcomes, and only modest transient therapeutic effects.
Modulation of TME, to move from a morphostatic to a morphogenic development state, is
essential for the establishment of complete regeneration in humans.
Research Prologue
We started out by asking ourselves a bold and thought provoking question: Could a state of
epimorphosis be pharmacologically induced in human beings to simultaneously target
both regenerative and repair outcomes?
As such a goal would require leveraging the most current knowledge from both the cell
reprogramming and developmental biology research segments, we started out with an in-depth
review of the state-of-the-art that both disciplines had to offer.
Cell Reprogramming Clues
A primary learning that has arisen from the cell reprogramming niche, is that the closer that one
gets to the detailed biochemical events that occur during traditional conception, the more
efficient the rewinding and remodeling of human tissue becomes.
However, the tools that have emerged from this research (nuclear transfer / therapeutic cloning,
cellular fusion, and forced pluripotency gene / factor expression) are very far from this. These
techniques are disruptive, slow, inefficient, unstable, and none are directly “drug-able” beyond
reprogramming cells in a petri dish.
We started out by asking ourselves a bold and thought provoking question: Could a state of
epimorphosis be pharmacologically induced in human beings to simultaneously target
both regenerative and repair outcomes?
As such a goal would require leveraging the most current knowledge from both the cell
reprogramming and developmental biology research segments, we started out with an in-depth
review of the state-of-the-art that both disciplines had to offer.
Cell Reprogramming Clues
A primary learning that has arisen from the cell reprogramming niche, is that the closer that one
gets to the detailed biochemical events that occur during traditional conception, the more
efficient the rewinding and remodeling of human tissue becomes.
However, the tools that have emerged from this research (nuclear transfer / therapeutic cloning,
cellular fusion, and forced pluripotency gene / factor expression) are very far from this. These
techniques are disruptive, slow, inefficient, unstable, and none are directly “drug-able” beyond
reprogramming cells in a petri dish.
Oocytes - The Reprogramming / Morphogenesis Intersection
Oocytes (egg cells) are amazing cells that are capable of a vast array of biological functions.
During conception, while oocytes support natural morphogenic development, they also perform
an unparalleled genome-wide reprogramming that rapidly eliminates both genetic and epigenetic
damage, resets cellular age, remodels mitochondria and other critical cellular organelles, all while
protecting the embryo from a range of infectious, inflammatory, and oxidative damage.
Unfortunately, the accessibility and application of human oocytes in therapeutic research and
development is severely hindered by limited supply, standardization, cost, and ethical issues
surrounding their use.
Oocytes (egg cells) are amazing cells that are capable of a vast array of biological functions.
During conception, while oocytes support natural morphogenic development, they also perform
an unparalleled genome-wide reprogramming that rapidly eliminates both genetic and epigenetic
damage, resets cellular age, remodels mitochondria and other critical cellular organelles, all while
protecting the embryo from a range of infectious, inflammatory, and oxidative damage.
Unfortunately, the accessibility and application of human oocytes in therapeutic research and
development is severely hindered by limited supply, standardization, cost, and ethical issues
surrounding their use.
BQ-A
BQ-A is a novel, biologic that mimics the biochemistry of the living human oocyte, immediately
following conception.
In developing BQ-A, Bioquark has found a unique way to standardize this biochemistry, in the form
of biologic drug, for application in any tissue of the human body, creating local micro-environments
that coordinate efficient regeneration and repair.
BQ-A is a novel, biologic that mimics the biochemistry of the living human oocyte, immediately
following conception.
In developing BQ-A, Bioquark has found a unique way to standardize this biochemistry, in the form
of biologic drug, for application in any tissue of the human body, creating local micro-environments
that coordinate efficient regeneration and repair.