The new Walloon company Cellaïon makes its first closing
Cellaïon, a Walloon biotechnology company created by a consortium of Belgian-Luxembourg investors, announces its first closing following the acquisition of the assets of Promethera and its HepaStem® technology platform.
The consortium led by Fund Plus (Leuven, Belgium) is also composed of SMS Investments SA (Luxembourg), Sopartec (UCLouvain Technology Transfer Office, Louvain-la-Neuve, Belgium), various private investors as well as Sofipôle, Invest.BW and Sambrinvest. The Walloon government supported the transaction. With this transaction, the technological platform and the assets of the former Promethera company return entirely to the Belgian-Luxembourg fold.
Cellaïon aims at the treatment of systemic inflammatory diseases that affect many organs, focusing first on Acute on Chronic Liver Failure (ACLF).
HepaStem®: cell therapy to regenerate the liver
The fundraising secures the funding of the phase IIB clinical trial of HepaStem® in acute liver failure leading to secondary failure of other organs (ACLF), a pathology currently without therapeutic solution, except liver transplantation; this invasive surgery remains largely inaccessible for patients given the rapid mortality and the scarcity of available organs. The liver is the central organ of the human body. Liver failure leads to the loss of vital functions (heart, lungs, kidneys, brain) and to the death of the patient. The study aims to prove the effectiveness of HepaStem® in restoring liver function and improving chances of survival.
HepaStem® ,a cell therapy medicinal product, aims to provide a more accessible and less invasive alternative to liver transplantation. HepaStem® signaling stem cells are administered to the patient intravenously and are transported through the bloodstream to the liver (or other tissues wheretheyare the site of inflammation), where they perform their anti-inflammatory and immunomodulatory function, restoring the health of the organ. Specifically, once injected into the patient, they secrete and exchange cellular compounds (cytokines and other cell derivatives) that neutralize inflammation and prevent tissue deterioration.
A pipeline targeting a broad spectrum of inflammatory diseases
In parallel, Cellaïon continues to develop this platform to target other organs and other inflammatory diseases. The secretoma ofHepaStem® and its intercellular communication capabilities open up perspectives in many diseases related to systemic and tissue inflammation.
The proof of concept in the ACLF opens up many perspectives in other liver diseases such as NASH ( Non Alcoholic Steato Hepatitis) (currently in phase IIa) but also in other therapeutic area such as rheumatology or dermatology.
"We look forward to relaunching clinical developments that are already well advanced, while starting on a sound financial footing with shareholders convinced of the therapeutic potential." said Pr. Etienne Sokal, PhD, CEO and Member of the Board of Directors of Cellaïon.
Cellaïon is a new example of public-private collaboration that further strengthens the Walloon biotechnology portfolio; the company, at the forefront of clinical development, will benefit from the Walloon ecosystem and know-how to ensure all stages of its development.