Our state-of-the-art small extracellular vesicles from menstrual stem cells (MenSCs) have shown great potential to revolutionize the oncology field in preclinical studies. This Cells for Cells’ nanobiologic therapy with anti-angiogenic and anti-tumoral properties is protected by a patent already granted in the US.
Exosome Therapy for Solid Tumors (Cancer)
33,600
Million USD, Global Prostate Cancer Market by 2030
23.4
CAGR Exosome Therapeutics Market for the 2022-2030 period
1/8
of all men will be diagnosed with prostate cancer during their lifetime
“MenSC-exosomes exert an important anti-tumor effect in vivo. Our findings demonstrated that the anti-tumor effect of our therapy is associated with a loss of the tumor vasculature, observed through the reduction of the number and size of the blood vessels. Now, we are close to deciphering the mechanism of action of these vesicles, an important step towards ascertaining therapeutic efficacy to the FDA.”
Francisca Alcayaga, Ph.D., Principal Investigator
Exosomes against angiogenesis. A critical characteristic of malignant tumors is their ability to induce angiogenesis, the formation of new vessels to ensure the delivery of oxygen and nutrients to the tumor. Targeting angiogenesis to limit tumor progression is an approach that has been clinically tested and has led to the development of anti-angiogenic drugs approved for use in some forms of cancer. However, the long-term benefits of monotherapies targeting mostly VEGF are usually transient since tumors develop resistance to the applied drugs due to a compensation response of the alternative pathways. Consequently, improving this promising strategy requires a multidrug approach simultaneously targeting tumor angiogenesis at several pathways and levels. Research conducted at our lab revealed the extraordinary potential of exosomes secreted by MenSCs to achieve this goal. These results led Cells for Cells to file and later secure a patent in the US that protected this discovery set to revolutionize the oncology field.
Extensive preclinical data supporting potential as premier nanobiologic therapy for cancer. Exosomes are natural delivery systems that carry and transfer biomolecules that are fundamental to modifying the function of target cells. Particularly, sEVs secreted by MenSCs act as inhibitory agents of tumor cell- and endothelial cell-derived angiogenic secretomes in prostate, breast, and head and neck cancer. Our team extensively characterized these exosomes and determined the anti-angiogenic effect of this therapy using different animal models of cancer. Notably, we reported that injecting MenSC-derived exosomes directly into tumors leads to major reductions in intratumoral hemoglobin content and vascular density and the inhibition of VEGF and HIF-1α expression in the tumor tissue, all of which cause a significant decrease in tumor size. Moreover, analyses of the micro(mi)RNAs content in these proprietary exosomes revealed a pattern of miRNA expression associated with anti-angiogenic and anti-tumoral properties. Cells for Cells aims to enhance this therapy by optimizing the exosomes’ cargo and engineering their membranes for superior treatment of the disease.
