New medicinal product that harnesses the therapeutic potential of MSC-derived exosomes
After gaining clinical experience using bone marrow, placenta and cord tissue-derived mesenchymal stromal cells (MSCs), as well as the cumulative experience of more than 500 patients for over 10 years, we decided to investigate the potential therapeutic effects of MSCs’ excretory exosomes. These contain many of the therapeutic components that exist in MSCs, especially microRNAs, which are documented to play important biological roles in upregulating and down-regulating gene expression. Furthermore, they play a role in differentiating multi-potent stem cells into cells resembling other tissues. In order to investigate whether we can accomplish clinical benefits using exosomes instead of intact MSCs (which secrete exosomes in vivo), we have to study the effects of exosomes in pre-clinical animal models.
Starting in March 2020 we approached Pharmaseed, a company that has the capacity to perform studies in pre-clinical animal models. We decided to start investigating the clinical effects of exosomes in an animal model of psoriasis with topical application of exosomes on skin lesions. These are created by experimental psoriasis and in an animal model of multiple sclerosis known as experimental autoimmune encephalitis (EAE). After investigating the optimal experimental approach for inducing psoriasis, on one hand, and inducing EAE on the other, we are now in contact with several potential sources of scalable amounts of exosomes. These will allow us to accomplish the desirable investigations on the potential therapeutic effects of a medicinal product, exosomes, instead of cellular products which always face complex regulatory approval.