Defymed, a French biotechnology company specializing in the development of bioartificial organs today announced a partnership with JDRF, the leading global organization funding type 1 diabetes (T1D) research. This new investment gives Defymed the opportunity to advance its pre-clinical studies in order to demonstrate the MAILPAN immunoprotection properties, safety and function. This is an essential step before beginning the clinical trials on humans.
“JDRF is known as the number-one worldwide public foundation fighting type 1 diabetes. We are more than honored to be working with them for the necessary pre-clinical tests before starting the MAILPAN clinical phase,” explains Dr. Séverine Sigrist, CEO of Defymed. “More than financial support, JRDF brings to us considerable visibility within the U.S. market and also provides strategic support in regards to finding a solution to encapsulating insulin-secreting cells to derive the benefits offered by this therapy to patients suffering from type 1 diabetes.”
With this support, Defymed will move significantly forward with clinical trials in humans. This new project, scheduled to take up to 24 months, will be conducted simultaneously as other research and development programs currently in progress at Defymed. It will allow Defymed to test the MAILPAN bioartificial pancreas designed for type 1 diabetics through the preclinical phase in order to:
— Strengthen the results on MAILPAN’s immunoprotection properties in combination with insulin-secreting cells.
— Confirm collected data on the MAILPAN’s functionality and safety, also in combination with insulin-secreting cells. MAILPAN, a disruptive technology for a better life Almost 25 million people around the world suffer from type 1 diabetes. MAILPAN, an implantable bioartificial pancreas, is a serious alternative to existing treatments. This medical device is designed to restore normal and continuous insulin production in diabetic patients. Implanted in the abdomen, it takes the shape of a pouch containing insulin-secreting cells. The potential of MAILPAN will bring numerous advantages in comparison to current treatments (e.g., no anti-rejection drugs in case of pancreatic transplants, absence of multiple insulin injections per day).
The bioartificial pancreas’ underlying principle’ is to encapsulate insulin-secreting cells between membranes impermeable to the immune system, but permeable enough for oxygen, nutrients, glucose and insulin. A bioartificial pancreas must fulfill three prerequisite functions: to protect transplanted cells from the patient immune system, to protect the patient from transplanted cells, and to maximize the function of the transplanted cells. The goal of the project is to ensure the function and safety of the medical device, utilizing Defymed’s expertise in the biomaterial and cell transplant, as well as preclinical validation and non-invasive imaging technologies.
This strategic step for Defymed confirms the therapeutic interest of the MAILPAN and will generate preclinical data that is absolutely necessary to build strong regulatory documentation for the MAILPAN, associated with insulin-secreting cells, which will be necessary to bring it to clinical trials in humans.
Filed Under: Drug Discovery
