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Citius Announces Data on NoveCite Mesenchymal Stem Cells (NC-MSCs) to be Presented at the American Society of Gene and Cell Therapy (ASGCT) Annual Meeting
- Induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC)-derived MSCs demonstrate higher-level secretion of anti-inflammatory proteins and greater expansion potential than
About this update from Citius Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
[{"type":"text","content":"- Induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC)-derived MSCs demonstrate higher-level secretion of anti-inflammatory proteins and greater expansion potential than conventional, donor-derived MSCs\n - Data include comparative therapeutic benefit in an experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE) mouse model\n\n\nCRANFORD, N.J., May 13, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Citius Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (\"Citius\" or the \"Company\") (Nasdaq: CTXR), a specialty pharmaceutical company focused on developing and commercializing critical care drug products, today announced that data on NoveCite MSCs will be presented this week at the American Society of Gene and Cell therapy (ASGCT) annual meeting. NC-MSCs are made by Novellus, Inc. (\"Novellus\"), a Cambridge-based biotechnology company, using its patented mRNA-based cell-reprogramming process. Earlier this year, Citius signed an exclusive option agreement to in-license NC-MSCs for acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS), including in COVID-19 patients, from Novellus.\nThe data to be presented show that NC-MSCs secrete higher levels of anti-inflammatory proteins compared to MSCs derived from bone marrow. From the abstract: \"Comparative secretome analysis showed overexpression of multiple neuroprotective and anti-inflammatory factors, including CXCL1, VEGF-A, and CXCL5.\" In addition, NC-MSCs showed therapeutic benefit in an experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE) mouse model, delaying disease progression and improving the clinical score compared to the control group, while bone marrow-derived MSCs showed no difference from the control.\n\"We are pleased to present these data at the annual meeting of the ASGCT,\" said Matt Angel, PhD, co-founder and Chief Science Officer at Novellus. \"While conventional MSCs have shown promise in the treatment of inflammatory lung disease, protein secretion and manufacturability remain challenges for these approaches. The data that will be presented this week show that iPSC-derived MSCs secrete higher levels of anti-inflammatory proteins, and exhibit greater expansion potential than bone marrow-derived MSCs. We believe that these properties make iPSC-derived MSCs especially well-suited for an allogeneic cell therapy for ARDS.\"\n\"Last month Citius signed an exclusive option agreement with Novellus for worldwide development and commercial rights related to the ...