- Agreement to accelerate development of a 'Gut-on-a-Chip' tissue model to improve therapeutic choice
and outcome of ulcerative colitis patients
- CollPlant to fund development and receive exclusive license
to manufacture and commercialize human intestine tissue
model
- Intestine model highlights vast application possibilities
for rhCollagen and CollPlant's strategic expansion into
personalized medicine, an emerging approach for disease
treatment
REHOVOT, Israel, Nov. 15,
2022 /PRNewswire/
-- CollPlant (NASDAQ: CLGN), a regenerative
and aesthetic medicine company developing innovative human
collagen-based technologies and products, together with Ramot, the
Technology Transfer Company of Tel Aviv University and Sheba
Medical Center, a hospital ranked by Newsweek magazine as one
of the Top 10 world best hospitals for the 4th
consecutive year (2019-2022), today announced entering into a
license and research agreement to co-develop a 'Gut-on-a-Chip' tissue model for drug discovery and high
throughput screening of drugs. The model is intended to be used in
personal medicine applications for the treatment of ulcerative
colitis, an inflammatory bowel disease affecting millions of
individuals worldwide. The in-vitro intestine-on-chip platform
combines CollPlant's human recombinant collagen (rhCollagen) with
other proprietary biomaterials and human cells. Designed to emulate
the human intestine tissue, the 3D bioprinted model will allow
medical professionals to identify drug targets and personalized
therapeutic responses that can lead to improved patient
outcomes.
The collaboration draws upon CollPlant's expertise in high
precision 3D bioprinting and collagen-based bioinks for scalable
and reproducible biofabrication of human tissues, with Tel Aviv University's 'smart'
Organ-on-a-Chip platform and Sheba Medical Center's capabilities in
advanced treatment screening. The co-development is led by Dr.
Ben Maoz from Tel Aviv University, who completed his
post-doctoral fellowship under the supervision of Prof.
Don Ingber and Prof. Kit Parker at the Wyss Institute at Harvard University, Dr. Yael Haberman from the Pediatric
Gastroenterology unit of Sheba Medical Center, and CollPlant's team
of scientists and engineers. Under the terms of the agreement,
CollPlant will fund the development of the intestine model and
receive an exclusive manufacturing and commercial license and
Tel Aviv University and Sheba will
receive sales royalties from CollPlant.
"We are excited to embark on this important collaboration with
Tel Aviv University and Sheba Medical
Center for what will represent CollPlant's strategic expansion into
personalized medicine. These acclaimed institutes are ideal
partners to accelerate the development of representative models of
the human intestine," said Yehiel Tal, CollPlant's Chief
Executive Officer. "Current models of inflammatory bowel diseases
such as colitis do not accurately mimic the intestine tissue
structure with the induced disease, and consequently have limited
applicability in predicting therapeutic response. We believe the 3D
bioprinted human intestine chip has the potential to accelerate new
drug development, reduce costs, support development of
personalized, highly effective treatments for ulcerative colitis
and significantly reduce or eliminate the need for animal
testing."
Keren Primor Cohen, the CEO of
Ramot at The Tel Aviv University,
stated: "I am highly looking forward to our collaboration with
CollPlant and Sheba Medical Center, and we are very proud of the
innovative technology of Dr. Ben
Maoz and his research team. This reusable, modular
organ-on-a-chip platform allows co-culturing and overcomes
scientific data collection and imaging challenges posed by other
in-market alternatives, that pushes the industry another step
forward in the direction of personalized treatment".
Dr. Yael Haberman (MD, PhD) at
Sheba Medical Center, stated: "I am very much looking forward to
our collaboration with CollPlant and Tel Aviv
University, where we aim to generate a complex model system
that will mimic gut epithelial barrier functions and will enable
preclinical testing and screening of different interventions."
Ulcerative colitis is characterized by chronic inflammation and
a relapsing and remitting clinical course that requires lifelong
treatment. Patients respond differently or fail to respond to
therapies, resulting in exposure of patients to unjustified drugs
and delay of the institution of effective treatment.
More information can be found on
https://collplant.com/products/gut-on-a-chip-2/
About Sheba Medical Center:
The largest and most comprehensive medical center in the
Middle East, Sheba Medical Center,
Tel Hashomer is generating global impact through its medical care,
research and healthcare transformation. Sheba's City of Health
boasts an acute-care hospital, rehabilitation hospital, research
and innovation hubs, medical simulation center and center for
disaster response on one comprehensive campus in the center of
Israel. A university teaching
hospital affiliated with the Sackler School of Medicine at
Tel-Aviv University, Sheba is shaping
the future of healthcare, educating the next generation of care
providers. Sheba serves as a true hospital without borders,
welcoming patients and healthcare professionals from all over the
world and consistently providing the highest-level medical care to
all in need. Sheba has been ranked a Top 10 hospital in the world
by Newsweek 4 years in a row (2019, 2020, 2021, 2022).
About Ramot and Tel Aviv
University:
Ramot is the technology transfer company of Tel Aviv
University, one of Israel's foremost research and
teaching universities. It is one of the major hubs that has
contributed to Israel's global reputation as the "Startup
Nation." Founded in 1956, Tel Aviv University is located
in Israel's cultural, financial and industrial center.
Rooted in both academic and corporate arenas, Ramot is uniquely
positioned to cultivate the special relationships between these two
compelling worlds, creating win-win connections that support
fertile, groundbreaking research while providing companies with
discoveries that give them a crucial competitive edge.
About CollPlant
CollPlant is a regenerative and aesthetic medicine company
focused on 3D bioprinting of tissues and organs, and medical
aesthetics. The Company's products are based on its rhCollagen
(recombinant human collagen) produced with CollPlant's proprietary
plant based genetic engineering technology. These products address
indications for the diverse fields of tissue repair, aesthetics,
and organ manufacturing, and are ushering in a new era in
regenerative and aesthetic medicine.
At the beginning of 2021, CollPlant entered into a development
and global commercialization agreement for dermal and soft tissue
fillers with Allergan, an AbbVie company, the global leader in the
dermal filler market. Later in 2021, CollPlant entered a strategic
co-development agreement with 3D Systems for a 3D bioprinted
regenerative soft tissue matrix for use in breast reconstruction
procedures in combination with an implant.
For more information about CollPlant, visit
http://www.collplant.com
Safe Harbor Statements
This press release may include forward-looking statements.
Forward-looking statements may include, but are not limited to,
statements relating to CollPlant's objectives plans and strategies,
as well as statements, other than historical facts, that address
activities, events or developments that CollPlant intends, expects,
projects, believes or anticipates will or may occur in the future.
These statements are often characterized by terminology such as
"believes," "hopes," "may," "anticipates," "should," "intends,"
"plans," "will," "expects," "estimates," "projects," "positioned,"
"strategy" and similar expressions and are based on assumptions and
assessments made in light of management's experience and perception
of historical trends, current conditions, expected future
developments and other factors believed to be appropriate.
Forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance
and are subject to risks and uncertainties that could cause actual
results to differ materially from those expressed or implied in
such statements. Many factors could cause CollPlant's actual
activities or results to differ materially from the activities and
results anticipated in forward-looking statements, including, but
not limited to, the following: the Company's history of significant
losses, its ability to continue as a going concern, and its need to
raise additional capital and its inability to obtain additional
capital on acceptable terms, or at all; the impact of the COVID-19
pandemic; the Company's expectations regarding the timing and cost
of commencing clinical trials with respect to tissues and organs
which are based on its rhCollagen based BioInk and products for
medical aesthetics; the Company's ability to obtain favorable
pre-clinical and clinical trial results; regulatory action with
respect to rhCollagen based BioInk and medical aesthetics products
including but not limited to acceptance of an application for
marketing authorization review and approval of such application,
and, if approved, the scope of the approved indication and
labeling; commercial success and market acceptance of the Company's
rhCollagen based products in 3D Bioprinting and medical aesthetics;
the Company's ability to establish sales and marketing capabilities
or enter into agreements with third parties and its reliance on
third party distributors and resellers; the Company's ability to
establish and maintain strategic partnerships and other corporate
collaborations; the Company's reliance on third parties to conduct
some or all aspects of its product manufacturing; the scope of
protection the Company is able to establish and maintain for
intellectual property rights and the Company's ability to operate
its business without infringing the intellectual property rights of
others; the overall global economic environment; the impact of
competition and new technologies; general market, political, and
economic conditions in the countries in which the Company operates;
projected capital expenditures and liquidity; changes in the
Company's strategy; and litigation and regulatory proceedings. More
detailed information about the risks and uncertainties affecting
CollPlant is contained under the heading "Risk Factors" included in
CollPlant's most recent annual report on Form 20-F filed with the
SEC, and in other filings that CollPlant has made and may make with
the SEC in the future. The forward-looking statements contained in
this press release are made as of the date of this press release
and reflect CollPlant's current views with respect to future
events, and CollPlant does not undertake and specifically disclaims
any obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements,
whether as a result of new information, future events or
otherwise.
Contact at CollPlant:
Eran Rotem
Deputy CEO & CFO
Tel: + 972-73-2325600
Email: Eran@CollPlant.com
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