ReNeuron CTX stem cell line holds up well under large-scale manufacturing conditions

ReNeuron (LON:RENE) said that its lead CTX neural stem cell line held up well under large-scale manufacturing conditions.

The stress tests were carried out by professor Mike Hoare and his team at University College London.

The results show that the CTX cells retained their morphology and growth characteristics when exposed to the stresses that could be experienced in future large-scale manufacture of the cells for widespread clinical use, ReNeuron said.

Dr John Sinden, the company’s chief scientific officer, added: "These new research results demonstrate the robust nature of ReNeuron's CTX cell line when subjected to manufacturing scale-up stresses and thus the potential of this cell line to form the basis of a cell-based therapeutic product for wide-scale clinical application. 

“The ability to utilise ReNeuron's proprietary cell expansion technologies to readily manufacture our cell products at scale has always been a primary element in our product development strategy and one that we believe will pay off for the company when we seek to license our therapies to commercial development partners in due course."

The data will be presented at a conference in San Diego, California, which begins today. 

This is second piece of highly encouraging research on the ReNeuron stem cell line little over a week.

Last Tuesday it unveiled encouraging pre-clinical data on the use of neural stem cells in stroke.

The Kings College study revealed a marked behavioural improvement in rats treated with the stem cells.

It also recorded up to 83 per cent recovery in sensorimotor function for those rodents receiving the stem cell treatment where damage was confined to the striatal region of the brain.

Implantation of the CTX cells also restored collagen IV expression to almost control levels.

This indicates the restoration of damaged blood vessels and the formation of new blood vessels in the damaged striatal region of the brain, via the process of angiogenesis.

ReNeuron's ReN001 stem cell therapy is currently being used to treat disabled stroke patients as part of the ground-breaking PISCES Study being carried out in Scotland.

The first patient has been treated for more than 12 months with no adverse cell-related side-effects.

In all, 12 stroke sufferers will be given varying doses ReN001 stem as part of this early-stage trial being carried out by the Institute of Neurological Sciences. 

“The data from this study further validate the clinical approach adopted in the ongoing PISCES human clinical trial withReNeuron’s ReN001 stem cell therapy for disabled ischaemic stroke patients,” said Vadim Alexandre, of the company’s broker Daniel Stewart.

“The study also demonstrates that the size and location of the stroke lesion is an important determinant of the degree of functional recovery seen, as is the site of implantation of the cells.”

The ReN001 therapy is based around ReNeuron’s lead neural stem cell line, designated CTX by virtue of its origin from the cortex region of the brain. 

The firm’s other stem cell therapies include ReN009, targeted at peripheral arterial disease , and ReN003, its therapy programme focused on diseases of the retina.

PAD is a chronic, debilitating disease that progressively restricts blood flow in the limbs, causing cramping and chronic pain, and in rare cases it can lead to the loss of a limb. 

During the past year, ReNeuron’s collaborators on its ReN009 programme at the Bristol Heart Institute have presentedpositive pre-clinical efficacy data.

It is continuing to collaborate with the Schepens Eye Research Institute at Havard Medical School on its ReN003 programme.