WuXi AppTec Content Team Editor
One of the bottlenecks of cell therapy is the limited source of cells that can be used to meet the needs of patients, and a biotech company called Aurion Biotech is expected to break through this bottleneck. According to the company, its ophthalmic cell therapy can use cells donated by a healthy volunteer to treat up to 100 patients. Today, the company also announced the completion of a $120 million financing round.
Aurion’s first investigational cell therapy targets corneal edema due to endothelial dysfunction. Since corneal cells do not regenerate after death, the disease gradually causes vision loss in patients and affects the lives of more than 10 million people worldwide.
Current treatment for the disease is a cell transplant, which requires a surgeon to perform a complex procedure to transplant cells from a donor into a patient’s eye. But cells, usually derived from one donor, can only treat one patient. According to the information provided by the company’s press release, behind each person’s donated corneal cells are 70 eyes that are in urgent need of treatment, with huge unmet medical needs.
In 2020, Aurion obtained a license for a cell therapy from Professor Shigeru Kinoshita’s research group at Kyoto Prefectural University of Medicine. This innovative therapy expands corneal endothelial cells in vitro and injects these healthy cells into the patient’s cornea. In a press release last year, the company mentioned that cells from two patients have successfully treated 50 patients: the therapy is surgically feasible and less invasive to patients. Preliminary results also showed improvement in the patient’s vision.
In today’s press release, the company further expects cells from one donor to be produced to treat the eyes of up to 100 patients.
Image source: 123RF
“Our financing demonstrates the enormous potential of our cell therapy to transform the lives of millions of patients with endothelial corneal dystrophy.” Mr. Greg Kunst, CEO of Aurion said. According to the plan, the funds will be used to further develop the therapy and support its marketing application in Japan. At the same time, the company also plans to start clinical trials in the United States.