Regeneration

Reprogrammed Vascular Endothelial Cells (R-VECs) Are
Critical “Missing Piece” for Therapeutic Organoids

Cell replacement

Cell replacement therapies have demonstrated broad therapeutic potential, but long-term viability and teratogenic/neoplastic potential remain significant challenges. Whether allogeneic or autologously derived, transplanted cells lack the natural vascularization needed for full physiological integration

R-VECs are endothelial cell

R-VECs are endothelial cells that naturally and permanently engraft into existing and generate entirely new vasculature through durable physiological processes

  • 1Adult endothelial cells re-programmed into R-VECs by transient re-introduction of transcription factors
  • 2R-VECs are cultured with organ-specific cells (e.g. allogeneic pancreatic islets, iPSC "donor" islets) in a 3D matrix
  • 3When injected subcutaneously, R-VECs fully vascularize growing organoids - required for long-term regeneration of organ function

    • R-VECs address key limitations of current cell replacement therapies:

    Full integration into existing vasculature while promoting generation of new vasculature dramatically improves durability of therapeutic effect
    Autologous: no immune or fibrotic response, no teratogenic or oncogenic potential
    Fewer donor cells needed: subcutaneous injection with vascularization improves organoid survival rates. Similar effect seen with 10x smaller dose than current clinical candidates
    Does not rely on recellularization – no physical scaffolds or xenotransplants required
    First product candidate is PRO-303: R-VECs + Allogeneic Islets for Type-1 Diabetes (link), but flexibility of R-VEC platform enables other organoid-based cell therapies to repair ischemic/damaged organs (e.g. COPD, heart failure, more)Platform supported by:Invented by scientific founder of Angiocrine ($77M raised, lead asset in P3 trials)

    Invented by scientific founder of Angiocrine
    ($77M raised, lead asset in P3 trials)

    © Copyright Proterris 2022.