Three-year term intended to advance preclinical development of ReSonance
Lineage Cell Therapeutics, Inc., a clinical-stage biotechnology company developing novel allogeneic, or “off the shelf,” cell therapies for serious neurological and ophthalmic conditions, announced that it has entered into a research collaboration with and through an investment from William Demant Invest A/S. WDI is an evergreen investor and the holding company for William Demant Foundation’s investment activities – a majority shareholder of the world-leading hearing healthcare company, Demant A/S.
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“ReSonance is our first internally-developed cell transplant program and highlights the efficiency and breadth of our technology platform.” Brian Culley, CEO
The parties will jointly advance Lineage’s auditory neuronal cell transplant, ReSonance (ANP1), for the treatment of hearing loss. The multi-year research collaboration covers preclinical development activities, including cell manufacturing, proof-of-concept studies, translational/functional models, delivery development, outcome measures, regulatory strategy, and market analysis, to support a potential IND/CTA filing. WDI will fund up to $12 million in research collaboration costs over the period, with development activities jointly conducted and managed by Lineage and scientists from Eriksholm Research Centre, part of Oticon A/S, which is a subsidiary of the Demant Group.
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“ReSonance is our first internally-developed cell transplant program and highlights the efficiency and breadth of our technology platform. Over a short period of time and with a modest initial, incremental investment, we advanced the ANP1 product concept through successful manufacture of the desired cell type, generated new intellectual property, and advanced into initial preclinical testing. With this research contribution from WDI, which has a strong interest in hearing healthcare, we are taking the next step in the development of this exciting product candidate. This partnership will allow us to integrate the hearing loss research expertise of Eriksholm Research Centre with the manufacturing and cell transplant expertise of the Lineage team to explore the potential of a differentiated cell transplant, and position this therapy for initial clinical development,” stated Brian Culley, Lineage CEO.
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), nearly 2.5 billion people are expected to experience some degree of hearing loss by 2025, ranging from mild to moderate to profound. In severe-to-profound cases, the condition may involve loss of auditory nerve cells, potentially leading to auditory neuropathy and significant hearing impairment.
Hearing relies on a series of steps that convert sound waves in the air into electrical signals, which are then relayed by auditory nerve cells to the brain. Auditory neuropathy is a challenging hearing disorder in which the auditory nerve cells are damaged or lost, meaning that the communication pathway from the ear to the brain is disrupted. Currently, auditory neuropathy remains a significant challenge in audiology, and treatment options are limited. However, one treatment approach is cell-based therapy, which aims to replace lost or damaged auditory nerve cells. By repopulating the cochlea with functional, transplanted auditory neurons, this approach may restore hearing and enhance the effectiveness of a cochlear implant in certain individuals with severe-to-profound hearing loss.
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Source- businesswire
