LONDON, ONTARIO – TheNewswire - January 15, 2021 – Sernova Corp. (TSXV:SVA) (OTC:SEOVF) (FSE:PSH), a leading clinical-stage regenerative medicine therapeutics company today announced that its principal clinical investigator, Dr. Piotr Witkowski, presented additional positive preliminary safety and efficacy data at the 2021 American Society of Transplant Surgeons Winter Symposium. Sernova’s Cell Pouch™ transplanted with insulin producing cells in patients with type 1 diabetes continues to show persistent islet function and clinically meaningful improvement in measures of glucose control.
Dr. Witkowski highlighted the following key points in his presentation:
The overall objective of the study is to assess the safety, tolerability, and efficacy of the Cell Pouch with insulin-producing islets. In addition to other criteria, prior to entry into the study, the patients must demonstrate long-standing type 1 diabetes with severe hypoglycemic unawareness episodes and no glucose-stimulated C-peptide circulating in their bloodstream.
In his presentation, aside from confirming ongoing safety and tolerability in all currently enrolled patients, Dr. Witkowski focused on the first transplanted patients who are furthest in the study and who have received a second islet transplant. Importantly, these patients are showing defined clinical benefit with a clinically meaningful reduction in daily injectable insulin requirement, along with the following additional ongoing efficacy indicators:
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- Absence of life threatening severe hypoglycemic events;
- Sustained blood levels of C-peptide (a biomarker for insulin produced by cells in the Cell Pouch);
- Reduction in HbA1c (a measure of long-term glucose control); and,
- Improvement in overall Continuous Glucose Monitoring (CGM) measured glucose control parameters (e.g., blood glucose ‘Time in Range’).
With the positive clinical benefit achieved in patients with Cell Pouch islets, one patient was later provided a single infusion of islets (portal vein). This top-up to the islets already received in the Cell Pouch contributed to this patient achieving and sustaining insulin independence. This patient has now been insulin free (requiring no injectable insulin) for nine months with optimal glucose control.
“I am pleased with the invitation to present additional positive preliminary clinical trial results to my esteemed peers at the 2021 ASTS meeting,” said Dr. Witkowski. “While we continue to validate the therapeutic potential of Sernova’s Cell Pouch with islets for type 1 diabetes, we also continue to optimize conditions within the designed clinical protocol towards a therapy to provide to diabetic patients, as we observe ongoing safety and efficacy measures in our trial patients. I am excited to be part of this evolution in patient treatment as we advance the Cell Pouch cell therapy approach towards a functional cure for diabetes.”
ABOUT SERNOVA’S CLINICAL TRIAL
Sernova is conducting a Phase I/II non-randomized, unblinded, single arm, company-sponsored trial, to assess the safety and tolerability of islet transplantation into the company’s patented Cell Pouch in diabetic subjects with hypoglycemia unawareness and an inability to produce their own insulin. The secondary objective is to assess efficacy through a series of defined measures.
Eligible subjects are implanted with Cell Pouches. Following development of vascularized tissue chambers within the Cell Pouch, subjects are then stabilized on immunosuppression and a dose of purified islets, under strict release criteria, transplanted into the Cell Pouch.
A sentinel pouch is removed for an early assessment of the islet transplant. Subjects are followed for additional safety and efficacy measures for approximately six months. At this point, a decision will be made with regards to the transplant of a second islet dose with subsequent safety and efficacy follow up. Following this period, eligible patients may be administered a single dose of islets through the portal vein. Patients will be then further followed for one year to assess longer-term safety and efficacy.
This study is supported in part by funding from JDRF, the leading global organization funding type 1 diabetes (T1D) research.