Date: 2016-12-12
Type of information: Development agreement
Compound: MAILPAN® bio-artificial pancreas in combination with stem-cell derived differentiated insulin-secreting cells
Company: Defymed (France) Semma Therapeutics (USA - MA)
Therapeutic area: Metabolic diseases
Type agreement: development
Action mechanism:
- medical device/cell therapy/stem cell therapy. MAILPAN® is a medical device in the form of a pouch made of bio-compatible polymer comprised of semi-permeable membranes that allow glucose, nutriments and oxygen to pass through and reach the pancreatic cells contained in the device, delivering the insulin required to regulate the patient’s blood-sugar level. The membranes are impermeable to the immune system and its antibodies, thereby protecting the patient from rejection of the implanted cells.
Disease: type 1 diabetes
Details:
- • On December 12, 2016, Defymed, a biotech company specializing in the development of bio-artificial organs, announced a strategic collaboration with Semma Therapeutics, an American biotechnology company specializing in the development of cell therapies for the treatment of diabetes, with the goal of developing of an innovative solution for treating type-1 diabetes. The collaboration is aimed at pre-clinical validation of the MAILPAN® bio-artificial pancreas, a device developed by Defymed, in combination with stem-cell derived differentiated insulin-secreting cells developed by Semma Therapeutics. The combination will be evaluated for effectiveness and safety, at first in vitro and then in an animal model. This therapy would potentially offer the patient an unlimited source of insulin-secreting cells, unlike pancreatic islets which are limited by their availability. Additionally, the device should obviate the need for immuno-suppression treatment, as its membranes are expected to protect the encapsulated cells from any risk of rejection. The patient would no longer have to think about multiple insulin injections each day, as the MAILPAN® combined with Semma’s cells should deliver the right amount of insulin. Defymed’s autonomous and long-lasting medical device thereby is hoped to substantially reduce the complications connected with diabetes.
- This cooperation was recognized as “Best innovative trial design leading to a quicker and better therapeutic outcome” at the MedStartup - Galien Award event on October 27, 2016 in New York.
- For Defymed, the collaboration follows just six months after concluding a financial agreement for half a million dollars with the JRDF, a global foundation that funds research into treatment for type-1 diabetes.
Financial terms:
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