VistaGen Therapeutics Inc (NASDAQ: VTGN) and its stem cell technology subsidiary VistaStem Therapeutics Inc have been granted a patent in Japan, the company revealed on Monday.

The Japanese Patent Office has issued a Notice of Allowance for a patent related to certain methods for producing blood cells, platelets and bone marrow stem cells.

Specifically, the new patent covers methods for producing haematopoietic precursor stem cells from human pluripotent stem cells. This technology could provide cells with the potential to support therapies for multiple diseases and disorders, such as cancer, including CAR T-cell cancer immunotherapy, and autoimmune disorders. In addition, the patent covers foundational technology that may provide approaches for producing bone marrow stem cells suitable for bone marrow transplantation.

The new patent will be the Japanese counterpart to one issued by the US Patent and Trademark Office in December 2017.

VistaGen holds an exclusive licence to the technology from the University Health Network (UHN) in Toronto, Canada. It was developed by Dr Gordon Keller, director of the McEwen Centre for Regenerative Medicine, which is part of UHN.