Hemostemix adds depth and strength to its scientific bench on the road to commercialization
Since we last covered Hemostemix where they released the promising results of their retrospective study of heart disease and the phase II clinical trial results of ACP-01 as a treatment for critical limb ischemia, their team has been making serious moves.
You may recall that Hemostemix Inc. (TSXV: HEM | OTCQB: HMTXF) is developing new treatments to treat ischemic (restricted blood flow) diseases by collecting a patient’s own cells from their blood and manufacturing a personalized regenerative therapy that can be administered to a patient within 7 days. The efficient, scalable, and cost-effective platform has the potential to generate therapies for a broad range of ischemic diseases.
In a quartet of recent press releases, Hemostemix announced the addition of four new distinguished members to its Scientific Advisory Board – Dr. Terry Hébert, Ph.D., Dr. Nadia Giannetti, MD, Dr. Johannes Grillari, and Dr. Renzo Cecere, MD, FRCSC. They are all internationally recognized experts in their respective fields with a wealth of experience in cardiovascular care, clinical research, and drug development.
Through his research, Dr. Hébert strives to improve our understanding of G protein-coupled receptor (GPCR) and G protein signaling architectures to enhance drug discovery for heart disease and other serious diseases. Dr. Hébert’s expertise will be a valuable asset to the Hemostemix team as they continue to work to develop innovative treatments for patients with cardiovascular disease.
Dr. Giannetti is a highly respected researcher and physician who has worked with more than 1000 patients with heart failure. She is a clinical researcher interested in improving care and outcomes for patients with heart failure and dilated cardiomyopathy. She is also the co-principal investigator of a large initiative looking at the role of stem cells in personalized therapy for cardiomyopathy, making her an excellent addition to Hemostemix’s Scientific Advisory Board.
Dr. Grillari is a renowned expert on cellular aging and tissue regeneration, with over 20 years of research experience in the field. His appointment will bring a wealth of knowledge and expertise to the Hemostemix team and will help to further their understanding of the molecular and physiological changes that occur during cell aging. His contributions will be invaluable in helping their team to achieve their goal of improving heart disease patient outcomes.
Dr. Cecere is an expert in the field of stem cell research and has been investigating novel methods to strengthen the stem-cell-induced regeneration of infarcted heart tissue for over a decade. In fact, Dr. Cecere’s recent publication–systematic review and meta-analysis–demonstrates that stem cells, along with bioactive scaffolds, provide enhanced tissue regeneration in animal models of myocardial infarction (MI) compared to stem cells injected alone. His study gives more backing to the theory that ACP-01 bioactive scaffolds improve stem cell-induced repair after a patient suffers a MI.
The new Scientific Advisory Board members’ experience should greatly assist in advancing to their phase II clinical trial, a step towards the goal of bringing ACP-01 to market and potentially improving the lives of heart failure patients around the world.
Hemostemix is also poised to gain more value from its NCP-01, which are autologous neuronal cell precursors. These precursors have the potential to treat the central and peripheral nervous systems. Hemostemix has announced Mr. Thomas Abraham has been appointed as President of PreCerv Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Hemostemix. PreCerv has obtained a global field of use license to NCP-01 and its autologous stem cell technologies from Hemostemix. This license will allow PreCerv to fund its studies to unlock NCP’s value for the shareholders of Hemostemix. Mr. Abraham is a highly accomplished business professional with more than 25 years of experience in financing, business development, governance, and risk management. He will be responsible for financing and leading the team that studies, develops, and commercializes NCP-01 and ACP-01 in the neuronal field, and bringing them to market for the benefit of patients suffering from neurological diseases.
Success for a public company often owes a lot to the team and talent it assembles, especially in the field of biotech and therapeutics. With these additions, Hemostemix has taken a big step toward advancing its suite of products in development.