Bone Therapeutics and Implant Therapeutics have signed a research evaluation agreement to enable Bone Therapeutics to access, evaluate and materially transfer Implant Therapeutics’ Induced Pluripotent Stem Cell (iPSC) lines, media, differentiation protocols and expertise.
Bone Therapeutics has developed a bone marrow-derived off-the-shelf, allogeneic MSC cell therapy platform. Its allogeneic cell therapy product, ALLOB, currently in clinical trials for different orthopedic indications, has resulted from this platform. Bone Therapeutics is now utilising its expertise to broader clinical indications of high unmet medical need as previously communicated. To achieve this strategic aim, it is now expanding its sources of MSCs from those derived from bone marrow and implementing genetic modification of MSCs to achieve higher therapeutic efficacy.
The partnership will allow Bone Therapeutics to gain access to iPSC derived, genetically engineered MSCs. These specific single source MSCs are highly standardised, are expandable and scalable. They are also more flexible with regards to modification methodologies, including gene editing and transduction, than existing autologous and allogeneic approaches. This specific agreement is set to last twelve months, and be focused on achieving early-stage research and product design and testing. Bone Therapeutics will initially perform technology evaluation, product design and optimisation of these iPSC derived MSCs. The two companies will discuss an agreement covering commercial R&D and commercialisation stages of development as required.
Bone Therapeutics will, in parallel, continue to research and evaluate a number of genes that are of interest as well as genetic modification technologies and methodologies. This separate activity will be undertaken to enhance the functionality and efficacy of MSCs for specific indications.
