Project description
From garbage disposal to therapy delivery, exosomes have earned their spot in the limelight
Cells have long been known to move molecules within the cell and to 'expel' them using membrane-bound vesicles. For years, extracellular vesicles were thought to be a cell’s way of putting out the trash and were largely ignored. Within the last 15 years, interest in exosomes has exploded as their critical role in cell-cell communication and the spread of diseases has been recognised. TEXAD is investigating the use of preconditioned exosomes induced to carry regeneration-promoting, anti-inflammatory and immunomodulatory molecules as potential therapies for autoimmune diseases. An innovative exosome-based platform could harness exosome potential for millions of patients with debilitating diseases including rheumatoid arthritis, lupus, inflammatory bowel disease, multiple sclerosis, and type 1 diabetes mellitus.
Objective
Exogenus Therapeutics is a drug development company using an exosome-based platform technology to develop an innovative pipeline of therapeutic products. Exogenus’ scientific team has pioneer research work in the area of Umbilical Cord Blood (UCB)-derived Extracellular Vesicles (EVs) clinical application. Among EVs, exosomes are nanosized vesicles (30-150nm) released from all types of cells responsible for cell-to-cell communication. Exogenus’ technology makes use of UCB cells preconditioned in ischemia, which secrete EVs enriched in pro-regenerative, anti-inflammatory and immunomodulatory biomolecules. Based on immunomodulatory properties of the lead biological active agent under development (Exo-101), and its capacity to increase immunotolerance, the company is investigating the potential of these vesicles for the treatment of autoimmune diseases. There are more than 80 different autoimmune diseases (AD) and a prevalence of more than 50 million people in the US alone. There is a high unmet need for most of these diseases, especially regarding safer treatments with less secondary effects. Based on their proprietary vesicles derived from UCB, Exogenus aims to develop a new generation of biologics for AD, with high efficacy and less secondary effects.
Fields of science
Programme(s)
Funding Scheme
CSA - Coordination and support actionCoordinator
3060 197 CANTANHEDE
Portugal
The organization defined itself as SME (small and medium-sized enterprise) at the time the Grant Agreement was signed.