On March 13th, Erganeo and Evora Biosciences signed a world-exclusive license agreement for a breakthrough treatment of digestive fistula.
More than 1,2 million people affected in Europe and the US only, with potentially dramatic consequences
A fistula is a physical anomaly in which two cavities inside the body become connected, spontaneously or following a trauma. Gastrointestinal fistulas (GIF), more specifically, appear along the digestive tract and might connect inner organs with the skin. GIF can occur in people with autoimmune diseases such as Crohn’s disease, or in patients that have undergone digestive surgery, related to obesity or cancer e.g.
Once diagnosed, this condition requires fast treatment, particularly as secondary complications can have serious consequences on patients’ quality of life (pain, tiredness, malnutrition, use of gastric pouches), even more so in the most complex cases. In addition, current options for clinical treatments carry high failure rates and significant associated risks.
Evora Biosciences and the next generation of cellular therapies
Current generation regenerative cell therapy is based on stem cell injections. Founded in March 2020, Evora Biosciences offers a new approach. Stem cells are no longer injected but are instead used to produce extracellular vesicles, also known as exosomes, which are incorporated in an occlusive gel to be injected into the fistula.
Compared to stem cells, exosomes allow for simplified handling and logistics, scalable production pipelines, and are considered less risky for patients. These exosomes carry the regenerative properties of their parent cells, and are thus able to heal damaged tissue.
The treatment was developed at the Matière et Systèmes Complexes laboratory (UMR 7057) by researchers from CNRS, Paris University (formerly Université Paris Descartes and Université Paris Diderot), European Hospital Georges Pompidou in Paris (APHP), and Inserm : Amanda Silva Brun, Gabriel Rahmi, Florence Gazeau, Claire Wilhelm, Christophe Cellier and Olivier Clement. Erganeo is responsible for managing the patent, which was registered in 2017.
Suat Topsu, CEO of Erganeo, is delighted with this new license agreement: “Erganeo is proud to be assisting with the emergence of this new generation of cellular therapy aimed at reducing complexity of use for medical personnel as well as patient risk”.
“Acquiring this license is the first step toward the development of a treatment which will change patients’ lives », said Hadrien Lanvin, CEO of Evora Biosciences. « For Evora Biosciences, this is also the beginning of our journey developing next-generation cellular therapies.”
About Erganeo – www.erganeo.com
Erganeo is an investment fund that specialises in breakthrough innovations (Deep Tech) with major societal impact. We invest early in the game to secure researchers’ newest inventions before they are transferred to companies or before start-ups are founded, across a wide range of scientific fields: Biotech, Infotech (telecom, connected objects, big data, AI) and Enertech (new energy, chemistry, materials), among others.
Erganeo aims to accelerate and simplify links between research and industry for the benefit of society. To do so, we finance and accompany the new generation of French researchers and entrepreneurs on the road to international recognition and success.
As a member of the SATT Network, Erganeo draws on the Ile-de-France network in building the foundations of a better tomorrow, tapping into a talent pool of over 20,000 researchers across 350 cutting-edge, leading laboratories. Since it was founded, Erganeo has invested over €29m, thus contributing to the signing of 70 licensing agreements with companies of all sizes, and setting up 16 start-ups.
Press contact: Céline Clausener – Director of Public Affairs – celine.clausener@erganeo.com
About Evora Biosciences – www.evorabio.com
Evora Biosciences is a biotechnology company based in Paris, which specializes in developing exosomes-based therapies. Founded by entrepreneurs, doctors and researchers from the CNRS, Université de Paris, the AP-HP and INSERM, Evora Biosciences is a pioneer in therapeutic applications of exosomes.
Evora Biosciences’ core mission is to transform therapeutic innovations, relying on strong IP and first in-vivo results, into clinical stage treatments. To do so, Evora Biosciences leverages a strong network of cutting-edge clinical and academic research centres.
Press contact: press@evorabio.com