"Although Regen's focus with Dr. Min is the development of technology licensed from Benitec BioPharma to stimulate the immune system, in the form of dCellVax, the current publication illustrates the broad applicability of gene silencing technology, not only for immune stimulation, but also for targeted immune suppression," said Dr. Thomas Ichim, Chief Scientific Officer of Regen BioPharma. "In the case of dCellVax we are blocking immune suppressive genes to induce immune stimulation, whereas in this case, we silenced immune stimulatory genes to block only the part of the immune system that is responsible for rejection of heart transplants."
Organ transplants are the only available cure for end stage organ failure conditions such as heart, liver, and kidney failure. Although conventional immune suppressants are effective at blocking initial rejection of the transplanted organ, chronic usage of immune suppressants is associated with increased infections and incidence of cancer. This is because current drugs to treat transplant rejection globally suppress the immune system, making the body more susceptible to pathogens and cancer. In contrast, the approach described in the current publication selectively blocks the immune system from killing the transplanted heart, while allowing other components of the immune system to function normally.
"The current publication is an example of how work performed at Regen in the development of dCellVax has applications outside of its original intended field of use. Through our ongoing collaborative efforts we plan to not only accelerate the development of dCellVax in the area of breast cancer, but also to advance the field of gene silencing, which may have benefits in a wide variety of medical conditions," said David Koos, Chairman and CEO of Regen BioPharma Inc.
Currently Regen BioPharma is progressing in its IND enabling experiments for dCellVax, with anticipation of filing an IND in August 2014.
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