- Cynata Therapeutics (CYP) has received positive efficacy data from preclinical studies of its Cymerus stem cells in treating sepsis
- The trial was completed in partnership with the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland and led by Professor Gerard Curley
- Cymerus stem cells resulted in increased blood oxygen levels and lung expansion and decreased inflammation and lung permeability
- Cynata is currently up 11.3 per cent with shares trading for $1.14 apiece
Cynata Therapeutics (CYP) has received positive efficacy data from preclinical studies of its Cymerus stem cells in sepsis.
Sepsis, known more commonly as blood poising, is a life-threatening condition that arises from the body’s response to an infection or injury.
It is a major medical challenge and is the most common cause of death in hospital intensive care units – with 1 in 20 deaths in the population and up to 50 per cent of all hospital deaths.
Current treatments include antibiotics and blood pressure medication, and fluid replacement and IV fluids.
The studies of Cymerus mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) were performed under Cynata’s partnership with RCSI (the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland).
The study was under the leadership of Professor Gerard Curley, Chair of the Department of Anaesthesia and Critical Care at RCSI, and Consultant in Intensive Care Medicine at Beaumont Hospital, Dublin.
Announced in July 2018, this partnership is co-funded by Cynata and RCSI under the RCSI Strategic Industry Partnership Seed Fund.
Cymerus is the process of generating cell-based products from intermediate cells which are derived from induced pluripotent stem cells. These stem cells can also multiply indefinitely.
This process can be used to make a range of cell types, each of which has different properties and maybe suited in the treatment of different diseases.
“There is a critical need for new therapies to treat sepsis, which is a devastating condition that can affect people at any stage of life without warning,” Professor Gerard commented.
“These exciting results give us grounds for optimism that Cymerus MCSs could provide a new treatment option for these patients,” he added.
In a preclinical model of severe pneumonia-induced sepsis, Cymerus MCS showed increased blood oxygen levels and lung expansion and decreased alveolar neutrophil infiltration, barrier permeability, and inflammation.
Cymerus MCSs were also shown to enhance phagocytosis both directly and indirectly. Phagocytosis is the process by which white blood cells ingest and remove bacteria and other harmful agents from the body.
“Professor Curley’s results are highly encouraging, and we believe the data can support progression to a clinical trial with patients with sepsis,” Cynata Chief Operating Officer Dr Kilian Kelly said.
“These latest results build on our broad preclinical database across a range of commercial opportunities, including asthma, heart disease and diabetes complications, in addition to our very successful clinical trial in GvHD,” he added.
Cynata is currently up 11.3 per cent with shares trading for $1.14 apiece at 12:12 pm AEDT.