SINGAPORE, March 04, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — CytoMed Therapeutics Limited (NASDAQ:GDTC) (“CytoMed” or “Company”), a Singapore-based biopharmaceutical company focused on harnessing its proprietary technologies to develop novel donor-derived cell-based allogeneic therapies for the treatment of various cancers and aging-related diseases, today announced that it has entered into a Research Collaboration Agreement (“RCA”) with Sengkang General Hospital Pte Ltd (“SKH”), a public hospital in Singapore and a member of the SingHealth group to establish proof-of-concept use of an injectable cartilage regeneration therapy that has been developed with donor-sourced, (allogeneic) umbilical cord-derived mesenchymal stem cells (“UC-MSCs”) to treat cartilage injury. This injectable therapy will be implemented in vivo to support the application and commencement of a proposed Phase 1 clinical trial in Singapore, and is anticipated to complete within two years.
The use of MSC as a potential treatment for tissue regeneration, inflammatory and regenerative diseases has been the subject of increasing interest in the global scientific community. Osteoarthritis of the knee is a debilitating disease affecting Singapore’s aging population and the clinical trial will pioneer stem cell use for regenerative medicine in Singapore.
UC-MSCs are a type of adult stem cells that can be isolated from the umbilical cord tissue after childbirth. These cells possess unique properties that have demonstrated to be promising for various therapeutic applications, especially when these cells are freshly harvested and isolated from the umbilical cord, as compared to MSCs derived from frozen tissues, of which the yield and quality may potentially suffer. UC-MSCs are considered multipotent and are able to differentiate into different cell types, including bone, cartilage, fat, and muscle cells. They also exhibit immunomodulatory and anti-inflammatory properties, making them attractive for regenerative medicine and immune-related disorders.
“Our collaboration with CytoMed marks a significant step in advancing research on allogeneic in-vivo UC-MSC for cartilage repair, including osteoarthritis of the knee. Through our …
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