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ReNeuron to tackle brain cancer with exosome candidate

Published: 08:43 09 Jun 2016 BST

Brain cancer
The incidence rate in the US and Europe combined is around 25,000 patients per annum

ReNeuron Group Plc (LON:RENE) has selected glioblastoma multiforme, the most common form of brain cancer, as the first clinical target for its exosome nanomedicine platform.

The UK-based developer of cell-based therapeutics said the decision was based on evidence of tumour-inhibiting activity from early pre-clinical studies with the technology.  

Glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) accounts for around one in six of all diagnosed brain cancers, and the median survival rate for newly diagnosed patients is 12 to 15 months, while just 4-6% of sufferers survive beyond five years.

The incidence rate in the US and Europe combined is around 25,000 patients a year.

Exosomes are nanoparticles secreted from all cells, including ReNeuron's proprietary CTX stem cell line, and they play a key role in the transfer of beneficial proteins and particularly non-coding microRNAs (miRNAs) from one cell to another, ReNeuron’s stock market announcement explained. 

ReNeuron researchers have identified a unique mechanism by which exosomes expressed from CTX cells inhibit the growth and migration of glioblastoma cells in pre-clinical models of the disease. 

Earlier this year, a paper was published in the scientific journal PLOS ONE1 describing work undertaken by ReNeuron researchers to identify a unique set of highly enriched miRNAs contained within CTX-derived exosomes. The research demonstrated that these miRNAs may have significant impact in regulating cell growth and apoptosis in cancer.

Based upon these promising findings, ReNeuron is pursuing pre-clinical development of its selected exosome nanomedicine candidate, designated ExoPr0, targeting GBM.

The company is collaborating with the Netherlands Cancer Institute to conduct further tests on the efficacy of ExoPr0, and is also working with the Cell and Gene Therapy Catapult and the Department of Biochemical Engineering at University College London under a recently awarded £2.1 million grant from Innovate UK. The grant will fund the development of manufacturing systems for ExoPr0.

“We are delighted to be working with such prestigious collaborators on this programme and we look forward to reporting further progress towards the clinic over the coming year," said Olav Hellebø, ReNeuron’s chief executive officer.

Assuming a successful outcome to the above pre-clinical development programme, the company expects to be able to file an application to commence a first human clinical trial with ExoPr0 in the second half of next year.

“ReNeuron is a global leader in the exciting new field of exosome therapeutics and the selection of our ExoPr0 therapeutic candidate, initially targeting glioblastoma, expands our therapeutic pipeline into oncology, a field with huge therapeutic and commercial potential,” Hellebø said. 

The shares were up 3.7% to 3.5p in a falling market in early deals.

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