With the support of Iran’s Vice Presidential Office for Science and Technology, 16 products related to regenerative medicine, including stem cell therapies, were unveiled on Saturday.
The event was aimed at introducing the latest achievements in the field to domestic and foreign markets, the vice presidential office’s website, Isti.ir, reported.
Regenerative medicine helps regrow, repair or replace damaged or diseased cells, organs or tissues. It includes the generation and use of therapeutic stem cells, tissue engineering and production of artificial organs.
One of the introduced products was Antithymocyte Globulin (ATG), a concentrated anti-human T-lymphocyte immunoglobulin preparation derived from rabbits after immunization with a T-lymphoblast cell line.
ATG is an immunosuppressive product for the prevention and treatment of acute rejection following organ transplantation. It reduces the host immune response against tissue transplants or organ allografts.
The product is developed by Tehran-based Kowsar Biotechnology Company to address the country's strong demand and curb dependency on foreign suppliers.
About 32,000 vials of this medicine are imported annually by KBC, which prevents the capital flight of $6 million.
The company began producing kits and materials for genetic and molecular cell laboratories in 2006, relying on domestic experts and young university graduates.
Another product unveiled at the event was human amniotic membrane dressing, produced by Sinacell, a pioneering company in the field of cell therapy located at Tehran’s Pardis Tech Park.
The human amniotic membrane dressing, which is collected after the cesarean delivery procedure, is cut, packaged, sterilized with gamma rays and marketed after quality control.
The product is used to repair abnormalities in a patient’s corneal epithelial layer. The natural repair process is unable to rebuild this layer in the event of serious damage, such as thermal or chemical burns to the entire cornea, extensive scratches caused by accidents, or eye illnesses such as keratopathy or pterygium. Human amniotic membrane dressing can help completely repair the corneal epithelial layer, restoring the patient’s clear vision.
Sinacell was founded in 2007 as a stem cell and tissue engineering manufacturing research firm to become a major participant in the development of breakthrough therapeutic goods.
According to industry insiders, 600 innovative products in regenerative medicine have been developed and introduced by Iran’s technology ecosystem, each of which help cure special diseases.
Bright Prospects
Speaking at the unveiling event, Vice President Sorena Sattari highlighted the significant growth of technology ecosystem all over the country and reminded that the growth should be stabilized through a strong support system.
“The government can finance the construction of infrastructures and facilities for the technology ecosystem, but it cannot produce innovative products, as the state coffers are limited and unable to make high-risk investments,” he added.
Sattari called on private investors to grasp the opportunity.
Also present at the event, Amirali Hamidiyeh, a deputy at the vice presidential office, said regenerative medicine has witnessed a promising development over the past few years.
“The science can help curb incurable diseases and boost health tourism in the country,” he said.
Hamidiyeh noted that over 160 knowledge-based companies are currently active in the field, earning over 50 trillion rials ($200 million) in the last Iranian year (ended March 2021).
Stretching Tech Boundaries
Since the government announced its policies on supporting knowledge-based companies and fledgling startups in 2013 when President Hassan Rouhani took office in the first term, the technology ecosystem has flourished in many fields.
Officials believe that tech firms are helping upgrade almost all sectors while gradually transforming the traditional economy into a knowledge-based one.
Recently, a startup accelerator signed a deal with Iran National Innovation Fund, affiliated with the vice presidential office, to prepare the ground for tech firms to enter the market of medical and health products.
According to Arian Aqili, the head of the accelerator, the fund will provide startups and knowledge-based companies with financial assistance for producing medical prototypes and conduct pilot tests.
Instead, he added, the accelerator will receive a share of the tech firms’ profit after they commercialize their products.
Regenerative medicine and tissue engineering, probiotic and functional foods, nanotech-targeted therapy for cancer, scar patches, medicine and health-protective items such as sanitizers are explored by the accelerator.
A similar initiative was launched in late April by INIF with an investment of 140 billion rials ($560,000) in nanotech firms to boost the domestic production of health-protective items used for stemming the transmission of coronavirus.
According to the fund’s website Inif.ir, Iran Nanotechnology Innovation Council helped INIF sign contracts with eligible knowledge-based companies.
Mohammad Ali Bahreini, the head of Nano-Fund Department at the council, said the contracts are geared toward the production of N95 and N99 facemasks needed by the medical staff to fight the Covid-19 outbreak.
The money was also to be spent on upgrading machinery, especially electrospinning machines, used in the production of masks.
Electrospinning is a fiber production method that uses electric force to draw charged threads of polymer solutions or polymer melts up to fiber diameters to the tune of some hundred nanometers.
The method has the potential to produce seamless non-woven items by integrating advanced manufacturing with fiber electrospinning. This would introduce multi-functionality (flame, chemical, environmental protection) by blending fibers into electrospin-laced layers in combination with polymer coatings.
Petrochemical Attainment
Focusing on the petrochemical sector, an Iranian tech firm at Pardis Technology Park in east Tehran has recently developed a high-tech catalyst used to convert naphthas distilled from crude oil (typically having low octane ratings) into high-octane liquid products called reformates, which are premium blending stocks for high-octane gasoline.
According to Hamzeh Kazerouni, the head of the tech unit, catalysts currently used in refineries have been imported over a decade ago.
“Catalysts have outlived their usefulness and with the restrictive US sanctions, more catalysts cannot be purchased from foreign sources,” he said.
“Replacing the time-worn ones with new domestic versions can boost the productivity of refineries by around 8%, raising the annual revenue of refineries by $30 million on average.”
Kazerouni believes that the domestic version is far cheaper and can meet the industry’s demand.
