TO SAVE AND
RESTORE
"Perhaps no structure is so intimately and simultaneously connected to both the energy of youth and the decline of the old"
— (Sun et al.; 2020)
Mitochondria are the powerhouses of the cell. cellvie is employing Therapeutic Mitochondria Transplantation, a technique of augmentation and replacement to reinvigorate the cell energy metabolism when the mitochondria are failing. The first application will be in ischemia-reperfusion injury, the world's number 1 killer.
MITOCHONDRIA ARE INTIMATELY TIED TO THE ORIGIN OF COMPLEX LIFE
Mitochondria are membrane-bound cell organelles that generate most of the energy needed to power the cell's biochemical reactions. In a process referred to as symbiogenesis, mitochondria are said to have merged with a simple cellular organism, giving rise to complex life and its evolution. In this process, Mitochondria took over vital roles within the cell, including:
ISCHEMIA-REPERFUSION Injury
cellvie is targeting ischemia-reperfusion injury as its technology's first application. Ischemia-Reperfusion is a ubiquitous challenge, arising whenever blood flow is interrupted and subsequently re-introduced. Medical conditions giving rise to ischemia-reperfusion injury are heart attacks, stroke, long surgical procedures and organ transplantation.
The first indication will be in kidney transplantation. With 12 patients dying each day waiting for a kidney, the need is particularly dear. The aim is to reduce the incidence of delayed graft function, which arises in up to 50% of kidney recipients.
EMERGENCE OF A NEW TREATMENT MODALITY
With mitochondria a common denominator in health as well as in disease and aging, cellvie strives to bring about Therapeutic Mitochondria Transplantation as a novel category of medicines. The approach's ability to sustainably affect the cell-energy-metabolism opens new avenues to treat hitherto intractable human conditions.
Beyond ischemia-reperfusion injury, the team at cellvie is particularly interested in the technology's application to slow or reverse degenerative processes of aging linked to the mitochondria.
GENETIC DISEASES
Leveraging their efficient cellular uptake and endosomal escape capabilities, cellvie is employing mitochondria as a novel vector to target genetic diseases. What makes mitochondria unique is their large payload capacity, distinct distribution pattern, and superior safety profile. The first application will be in Epidermolysis Bullosa, a rare and devastating genetic disease. Patients - many of them children - suffer from fragile skin, chronic wounds, pain, infections, and complications affecting internal tissues. For many, the origin lies in a deficiency in the COL7A1 gene and the resultant lack of functional Type VII Collagen, the protein that anchors the skin's layers together. The slightest touch results in blisters and open wounds. Despite recent therapeutic advances, significant unmet need remains. cellvie is developing a topical mitochondria-enabled gene therapy to restore expression of Type VII Collagen in affected skin and address the root cause of the disease.
