Esperite (ESP) leads international consortium for clinical translation of extracellular vesicles use in various therapies

                                               

Esperite (ESP) leads international consortium for clinical translation of extracellular vesicles use in various therapies

Extracellular vesicles (EVs) disruptive technology targets unmet needs in neuroinflammatory diseases at lower costs than allogenic stem cell therapies.

Esperite's business unit The Cell Factory develops EVs-based therapeutics in treatment of drug-resistant epilepsy in children jointly with Bambino Gesù Children's Hospital, Mario Negri Institute for Pharmacological Research and the Women's and Children's Health Department of the University of Padua.

Zutphen, The Netherlands - 30 September 2016

Esperite N.V. (Euronext: ESP, "Esperite") sponsors an international consortium of the leading teams in paediatric regenerative medicine to bring extracellular vesicles (EVs) technology to the clinic with niche applications in treatment of severe neuro-inflammatory diseases. Its first project focuses on EVs application in untreatable-yet acute and chronic drug-resistant epilepsy in children. The consortium will also investigate EVs and exosomes characteristics, potency, and a mode of action and will further improve the EVs production processes.

Led by Professor Federico Vigevano at Bambino Gesù Children's Hospital with Dr Alessandra Fierabracci providing her expertise in Immunology and Dr. Annamaria Vezzani at Mario Negri Institute, pre-clinical tests of mesenchymal stem cells (MSC)-derived EVs are underway to confirm the safety and efficacy already demonstrated in multiple in vitro and in vivo models. This project will enable the first-in-man use of MSC-derived EVs and exosomes in treatment of drug-resistant epilepsy in children. The project follows a long-term collaboration between the Children's Hospital and the Esperite group initiated and liaised by Professor Stefano Grossi, Esperite's Scientific Director in Italy.

In parallel, Esperite's regenerative medicine division, The Cell Factory, in partnership with Professor Maurizio Muraca's team at University of Padua, are better characterising EVs to establish clinical grade standards for production, purification, quantification, bio-distribution and molecular characterisation of new EV-based therapeutics.

Professor Muraca has also agreed to join the Scientific Board of The Cell Factory to support EVs products development and clinical translation. Professor Muraca has extensive and long-term experience in immunology, EVs and MSCs research, and the expertise in regulations of advanced therapies use in clinic.