StemCell Therapy

ViaCyte picked up $10 milliontofund the clinical development of its stem cell-derived treatment for patients who have Type 1 diabetes and are at risk of complications.

Specifically, the funds will be used to develop the companys PEC-Direct candidate, which treats diabetes by administering stem cell-derived pancreatic progenitor cells in an implantable device, according to a statement. These cells are designed to mature into human pancreatic cells, including insulin-secreting beta cells.

This treatment is intended for high-risk Type 1 diabetes patientsthose who experience severe hypoglycemic episodes, who have brittle diabetes, where blood glucose levels swing up and down, or who are less able or unable to spot symptoms of low blood sugar. ViaCyte plans to deliver the therapy alongside immune-suppressive drugs to prevent rejection.

Highrisk type 1 diabetes has been successfully treated with cadaver islet transplants, but adoption of islet transplants has been limited, due in part to the insufficient supply of donor material, said ViaCyte CEO Paul Laikind, in a statement. Because ViaCytes PEC01 cells are manufactured from pluripotent cells with unlimited proliferative potential, they can be made in vast numbers and therefore may be capable of solving the cell supply issue.

The new fundingwill also support the development of ViaCytes other candidate, the PEC-Encap, for patients who require insulin to control their diabetes. It comprises the Encaptra Cell Delivery System and the companys pancreatic progenitor cells. In addition to delivering the cells, the Encaptra device also protects the cells from the host immune response, cutting the need for immunosuppression.

The funding comes from some undisclosed investors as well as from W.L. Gore, JDRF and Asset Management Partners. San Diego-based ViaCyte partnered with Gore in in March to improve the Encaptra device.

We believe that ViaCytes capabilities in cell therapy for diabetes are the most advanced in the industry, and we are pleased to bring our material and device expertise to the challenge of developing a functional cure for insulinrequiring diabetes, said Edward Gunzel, technical leader for Gore PharmBIO Products, in the statement.

JDRF recently established a $42 million fund for Type 1 diabetes research, which will be managed separately from JDRF. The diabetes nonprofit has supported a number of other projects, including Sernovas Cell Pouch System, an implant that secretes cells that help control blood sugar, and the University of Torontos skin patch, which detects low blood sugar and automatically delivers the hormone glucagon to convert glycogen back into glucose.

Read more here:
ViaCyte bags $10M for diabetes cell therapies - FierceBiotech

This entry was posted on May 25, 2017 at 9:48 am and is filed under Diabetes. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed. |