– TreeFrog Therapeutics reports on the first bioproduction of a cell therapy for Parkinson’s Disease in a scalable bioreactor[1] –
BORDEAUX, France / April 15, 2024 – TreeFrog Therapeutics, a cell therapy development company with its lead program in Parkinson’s Disease is presenting for the first time at the annual meeting of the American Academy of Neurology, taking place in Denver, Colorado April 13-18, 2024.
Parkinson’s disease is a complex neurodegenerative disorder that affects more than 10 million worldwide, characterized by the progressive loss of dopamine-producing neurons in the brain. This debilitating condition manifests primarily through a range of motor symptoms such as tremors, rigidity, and bradykinesia, as well as non-motor symptoms which can include cognitive impairment and mood disorders. Symptoms usually appear when between 60%-80% of dopaminergic neurons are already lost, so a regenerative medicine approach that can replace these neurons holds great potential.
The poster presentation highlights the unique approach of TreeFrog Therapeutics in developing an off-the-shelf cell therapy with induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSC) using their proprietary technology, C-Stem™, the world’s first GMP-compliant encapsulation technology for the amplification and differentiation of cells. In contrast to other PD cell therapy approaches based on the transplantation of single cell suspensions, the C-Stem™ technology combined with standard bioreactors allows for the generation of brain-injectable 3D neural microtissues containing mature dopaminergic neurons. This unique format has the potential to enhance dopaminergic neuron survival post-transplant.
“I am excited to represent the Parkinson’s Disease team at TreeFrog at our first presentation at the American Academy of Neurology. We have developed a first-in-world technology, C-Stem™ and with this now have the first successful application of the 3D format microtissue that delivers efficacy in pre-clinical models. The results speak for themselves with full behavioral recovery observed by 16 weeks after transplantation using the cryopreserved 3D cell format. We look forward to continuing to bring our data to the scientific community as we advance our program” said Kevin Alessandri, Chief Technology Officer, TreeFrog Therapeutics.
Details of the presentation
- Title: Off-the-shelf bioreactor produced, iPSC-derived neural microtissues containing dopaminergic neurons innervate the striatum and normalize behavior in a Parkinson Rat Model
- Primary author: Nicolas Prudon, presented by Kevin Alessandri
- Date: 15th of April at 11:45am-12:45pm
- Poster: P4 – Poster session 4; Poster presentation 3-007
[1] Data on file. Poster 3-007, American Academy of Neurology Meeting 13th – 18th April, 2024
About TreeFrog Therapeutics
TreeFrog Therapeutics is a French-based biotech company set to unlock access to cell therapies for millions of patients. TreeFrog is unique in its approach to cell therapy development bringing together biophysicists, cell biologists and bioproduction engineers to address the challenges of the industry – producing and differentiating cells of quality at unprecedented scale, cost-effectively. To realize their mission of Cell Therapy for all, TreeFrog operates a hybrid business model that includes its own therapeutic programs and partnerships with leading biotech and industry players in other areas. In the last 3 years, the company has raised $82 million to advance a pipeline of stem cell-based therapies in regenerative medicine and immuno-oncology. In 2022, the company opened technological hubs in Boston, USA, and Kobe, Japan, to drive the adoption of the C-StemTM platform and establish strategic alliances with leading academic, biotech and industry players.
Media Contacts
Rachel MOONEY,
Chief Communications Officer
rachel.mooney@treefrog.fr
+33 6 74 06 34 61
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