BORDEAUX, May 13th, 2025 — TreeFrog Therapeutics, a French biotech specializing in cell therapy is the first company to present a clinical-ready delivery strategy for 3D microtissues cell therapy. The validated approach was demonstrated for their 3D neural microtissues cell therapy treatment for Parkinson’s disease.
Parkinson’s disease is the second most common neurodegenerative disorder after Alzheimer’s disease. It is a progressive disease characterized by the loss of dopaminergic neurons with a mix of motor symptoms (bradykinesia, rigidity, resting tremor) and non-motor symptoms (cognitive deficits, mood disorders, fatigue). Current treatments provide symptomatic relief only. There is a huge unmet need with a prevalence that has doubled in the last 25 years to an estimated 10 million sufferers, and it is expected to double again by 2050[1],[2].
Research into cell replacement strategies for Parkinson’s disease has been ongoing for decades and the promise of cell therapy in the disease has resulted in a dynamic clinical trial landscape. Since 2021, when there were 5 trials in Parkinson’s disease, there have been 15 new trials initiated or planned[3].
Most cell therapies rely on single-cell suspensions which, while still holding promise, face specific challenges such as elevated cell death due to anoikis. Next generation 3D formats such as the neural microtissues in development by TreeFrog have emerged as a potential solution as the microtissue is in itself a network, providing protection to the cells and facilitating transplantation.
Peter Andersen, Chief R&D Officer, TreeFrog Therapeutics commented “I am excited to present, for the first time, a validated delivery strategy for a 3D microtissue format cell therapy. The development took 4 years, and I am proud of what the cross-functional team has achieved. 3D formats have huge potential, but the team also had to overcome challenges such as faster sedimentation to ensure homogenization and accurate dose delivery. The team also focused on developing a device using existing components which will facilitate education of use for neurosurgeons and their teams.”
To learn more about this delivery strategy, those attending the ASGCT can attend the poster session and exchange with Peter Andersen:
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About TreeFrog Therapeutics
TreeFrog Therapeutics is a French-based regenerative medicine biotech set to unlock access to cell therapies for millions of patients with a lead program in Parkinson’s disease. 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 succeed in their mission of Cell Therapy for all, TreeFrog operates a business model that includes its own therapeutic programs and partnerships with leading biotech and industry players. Since 2021, the company has raised $82 million to advance a pipeline of stem cell-based therapies in regenerative medicine.
[1] Statistics | Parkinson’s Foundation
[2] Su D et al. Projections for prevalence of Parkinson’s disease and its driving factors in 195 countries and territories to 2050: modelling study of Global Burden of Disease Study 2021. BMJ. 2025;388:e080952
[3] Overview of Parkinson’s Disease Clinical Trial Landscape. Data on file
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Rachel Mooney
Chief Communications Officer