Bone Therapeutics appoints Scientific Advisory Board for iMSC cell
and gene therapy platform development
Gosselies,
Belgium, 12 October 2021,
7:00 am CEST –
BONE THERAPEUTICS (Euronext Brussels and Paris:
BOTHE), the cell therapy company addressing unmet medical needs in
orthopedics and other diseases, today announces it has appointed
key experts to a Scientific Advisory Board (SAB).
Bone Therapeutics has appointed the members of
this SAB specifically to provide additional expert guidance on the
development of Bone Therapeutics’ novel, next generation induced
pluripotent stem cell-derived mesenchymal stromal cell (iMSC)
platform. This iMSC platform will be used to develop cell and gene
therapy products that have strong anti-inflammatory and
immunomodulatory properties, for the treatment of acute
life-threatening unmet medical diseases.
Bone Therapeutics has appointed its SAB with
world-recognized scientists and clinicians in the cell and gene
therapy field. Each SAB member has been selected having
demonstrated leadership roles in the clinical development of
engineered cell and gene therapy for specific acute unmet medical
conditions. These specific conditions include graft vs host
disease, acute respiratory distress syndrome, sepsis, and trauma,
as well as orthopedic conditions including osteoarthritis.
“Bone Therapeutics is developing a next
generation iMSC platform that has the potential to develop
transformative cell and gene therapies for patients suffering from
a range of life-threatening unmet medical diseases. Given the
therapeutic potential of this platform and to deliver this platform
to an operational state as quickly as possible, Bone Therapeutics
has brought together a group of world-leading experts to support
its development,” said Tony Ting,
PhD, Chief Scientific Officer, Bone
Therapeutics. “These thought leaders have been selected to
bring a wealth of specific experience in the clinical development
of cell and gene therapies. The input from this SAB will be
critical as Bone Therapeutics develops its next-generation iMSC
products for acute inflammatory diseases.”
“Given the therapeutic potential of the iMSC
platform that Bone Therapeutics is developing, the invitation to
chair and help form this scientific advisory board was too tempting
to decline,” said Massimo
Dominici, MD, chair, Bone Therapeutics’
Scientific Advisory Board. “The blend in expertise of this
scientific advisory board will be able to provide key advice and
consultancy to Bone Therapeutics and will make key contributions to
ensure the development of the iMSC platform to reach patients of
acute life-threatening unmet medical diseases as quickly as
possible.”
The Bone Therapeutics Scientific
Advisory Board are as follows:
Massimo
Dominici, MD, (Chair) - Full
Professor of Medical Oncology and Director of the Division of
Medical Oncology and of the Program of Cellular Therapy and
Immuno-oncology at the University Hospital of Modena and Reggio
Emilia (Italy). Also a member of the World Health Organization
(WHO) Expert Advisory Panel on The International Pharmacopoeia and
Pharmaceutical Preparations serving the INN Expert Group. Since
2016, the Director of the Residency School in Medical Oncology,
since 2005, head of the Laboratory of Cellular Therapies at the
University Hospital of Modena and Reggio Emilia (Italy). Scientific
founder of the university start-up Rigenerand since 2009.
Co-founder and coordinator of the Mirandola Science &
Technology Park. Co-founder of the Forum of Italian Researcher on
MSC (FIRST), board member of JACIE, WBMT and scientific advisor for
the Italian Minister of Health. President of ISCT 2014-2016,
Emeritus Member of ISCT and now Member of the ISCT Strategic
Advisory Council. From June 2014 until May 2020 Chair of the ISCT
Presidential taskforce on unproven cell and gene therapies.
Frank Barry, PhD, Professor of
Cellular Therapy at the Regenerative Medicine Institute (REMEDI),
National University of Ireland Galway and Visiting Scientist at the
Schroeder Arthritis Institute in Toronto. He has made key
contributions to the fields of tissue engineering and regenerative
medicine by developing innovative and successful cellular therapies
for tissue repair, joint injury and arthritic disease. By
undertaking a large body of basic and translational research, he
has contributed to the industry’s current understanding of the
phenotypic attributes of mesenchymal stromal cells that make them
attractive candidates for advanced therapeutics. He has also
contributed to the development of methods for automated, efficient
and scalable cell expansion for GMP application and has been a
leader in the development of clinical protocols for patient
testing. He is the Coordinator of the ADIPOA2 clinical trial to
test the efficacy of stromal cell delivery as a treatment for
osteoarthritis. Frank Barry has received the Marshall Urist Award
for excellence in tissue regeneration research from the Orthopaedic
Research Society. Recently elected as a Member of the Royal Irish
Academy.
Robert Deans, PhD, CSO at
Synthego, a genome engineering company automating a new era of cell
and gene therapeutics. Previously CTO at BlueRock Therapeutics,
creating iPSC based allogeneic cell therapeutics by harnessing
pluripotent stem cell biology and gene editing tools and founding
CSO at Rubius Therapeutics, developing a platform of novel
enucleated cell therapeutics based on genetic engineering and
expansion of hematopoietic progenitors to mature red cells. Dr.
Deans has more than 30 years of experience in adult stem cell
therapeutics which includes HSC gene therapy and commercialization
of progenitor cell therapeutics from bone marrow.
Richard Maziarz,
MD, has been involved in clinical investigation and
translational research, for over 30 years, beginning with research
and clinical training at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and the
Brigham & Women’s Hospital and continuing in 1991 when he moved
to Oregon Health & Science University (OHSU) to develop a
transplantation immunology program and served as the medical
director of the adult OHSU stem cell transplant program since 1994.
His research involved the immunology of transplantation or its
complications, particularly in studying the immunopathophysiology
of GVHD. He has served as principal investigator or co-investigator
on over 100 clinical trials including multiple initiatives
sponsored by numerous national transplant organizations including
SWOG, CIBMTR, ISCT, NMDP and BMT CTN. Within the BMT CTN, he serves
on the Steering committee, chaired the Regimen Related Toxicity
Committee, was a member of the GVHD Committee and served as the
principal investigator for the BMT CTN on the first multicenter,
stem cell transplant trial for patients with advanced chronic
lymphocytic leukemia (BMT CTN 0804).
Patricia Rocco, MD, PhD, Full
Professor at the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, and heads
the Laboratory of Pulmonary Investigation. Elected Member of the
National Academy of Medicine in Brazil and Brazilian Academy of
Science. Past Vice-President of ISCT for the South and Central
America regions. Authored and co-authored more than 380
peer-reviewed publications and 120 book chapters. She is the
President of the Brazilian Society of Physiology (2021-2022). Her
research activities focus mainly on the development of new
therapies for lung diseases.
About Bone Therapeutics
Bone Therapeutics is a leading biotech company
focused on the development of innovative products to address high
unmet needs in orthopedics and other diseases. The Company has a
diversified portfolio of cell therapies at different stages ranging
from pre-clinical programs in immunomodulation to mid stage
clinical development for orthopedic conditions, targeting markets
with large unmet medical needs and limited innovation.
Bone Therapeutics’ core technology is based on
its cutting-edge allogeneic cell and gene therapy platform with
differentiated bone marrow sourced Mesenchymal Stromal Cells (MSCs)
which can be stored at the point of use in the hospital. Currently
in pre-clinical development, BT-20, the most recent product
candidate from this technology, targets inflammatory conditions,
while the leading investigational medicinal product, ALLOB,
represents a unique, proprietary approach to bone regeneration,
which turns undifferentiated stromal cells from healthy donors into
bone-forming cells. These cells are produced via the Bone
Therapeutics’ scalable manufacturing process. Following the CTA
approval by regulatory authorities in Europe, the Company has
initiated patient recruitment for the Phase IIb clinical trial with
ALLOB in patients with difficult tibial fractures, using its
optimized production process. ALLOB continues to be evaluated for
other orthopedic indications including spinal fusion, osteotomy,
maxillofacial and dental.
Bone Therapeutics’ cell therapy products are
manufactured to the highest GMP (Good Manufacturing Practices)
standards and are protected by a broad IP (Intellectual Property)
portfolio covering ten patent families as well as knowhow. The
Company is based in the BioPark in Gosselies, Belgium. Further
information is available at www.bonetherapeutics.com.
For further information, please
contact:
Bone Therapeutics SAMiguel
Forte, MD, PhD, Chief Executive OfficerLieve Creten, Chief
Financial Officer ad interimTel: +32 (0)71 12 10
00investorrelations@bonetherapeutics.com
For Belgian Media and Investor
Enquiries:BepublicCatherine HaquenneTel: +32
(0)497 75 63 56catherine@bepublic.be
International Media Enquiries:Image Box
CommunicationsNeil Hunter / Michelle BoxallTel: +44 (0)20
8943 4685neil.hunter@ibcomms.agency / michelle@ibcomms.agency
For French Media and Investor
Enquiries:NewCap Investor Relations &
Financial CommunicationsPierre Laurent, Louis-Victor
Delouvrier and Arthur RouilléTel: +33 (0)1 44 71 94
94bone@newcap.eu
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