REG - Genflow Biosciences - Collaborative Research Agreement with Organips

Genflow BiosciencesAnnouncement

03/05/2022 07:00

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RNS Number : 9636J  Genflow Biosciences PLC  03 May 2022

 

PRESS RELEASE

3 May 2022

Genflow Biosciences Plc

("Genflow" or "the Company")

 

New Collaborative Research Agreement Signed with Organips

Genflow (LSE: GENF) is pleased to announce it has entered into a collaborative
research agreement with Organips, a France-based biotechnology company founded
by Prof Jean Marc Lemaitre, a world leader in cellular aging reversibility
through induced pluripotent stem cells ("iPSC") reprogramming strategies.

The collaboration will initially research the potential of the Sirtuin-6
("SIRT6") gene variant found in centenarians (people aged more than 100 years
old) in reversing the aging process in cells from patients with Werner
Syndrome ("WS"), a rare disease characterised by premature aging.

Through the collaboration, Genflow and Organips will work on the generation of
iPSC and will focus on pre-clinical exploratory research studies evaluating
the potential of SIRT6 to reprogramme WS liver organoids (artificial
multicellular tissue) and make them young again as a prerequisite for future
SIRT6 therapies.

The research programme entitled "Evaluation of SIRT6 Activity On iPSC Derived
WRN Liver Organoids As A Prerequisite For SIRT6 Therapy", will seek to
demonstrate both the safety and efficacy of SIRT6 in reliable WS models.
Organips has significant expertise in taking old cells and rejuvenating them.
Prof Jean Marc Lemaitre who has published several papers on reprogramming
cells, is a leader in this field and has filed several patents.

Genflow is a UK-based biotechnology company focused on longevity and the
development of therapies to counteract the effects of aging and diseases
associated with advanced age.

Dr Eric Leire, Founder and CEO of Genflow, said: "Genflow is very excited with
this collaboration which gives the Company the opportunity to work with a
company under the scientific advisory of Prof Jean Marc Lemaitre, who has
tremendous experience in reprograming cells. Through this collaboration
Genflow will work on reprogramming cells from patients with Werner Syndrome
with the aim of taking the prematurely aged cells from Werner patients and
making them young again. Reprograming is one of the most exciting research
areas within the longevity field and is attracting significant investment,
with prominent deals in the sector attracting investment capital of over $3bn
last year."

For further information please contact:

 Genflow Biosciences Plc
 Dr Eric Leire                       via Tancredi +44 203 434 2330

 Chief Executive
 Clear Capital Markets Ltd
 Corporate Broker                    +44 203 869 6086

 Jonathan Critchley                  +44 203 897 0981

 Keith Swann
 Tancredi Intelligent Communication

 Media Relations
 Salamander Davoudi                  +44 7957 549 906

 Helen Humphrey                      +44 7449 226 720

 Benedetta Negri da Oleggio          +44 7838 029 970

                                     genflowbio@tancredigroup.com

 

About Genflow

Genflow is a UK-based biotechnology company established in 2020. The Company
is developing gene therapies designed to target the aging process and to
reduce and delay the incidence of age-related diseases. This will be done
through novel therapeutics targeting aging in humans by using adeno-associated
virus ("AAV") vectors to deliver copies of the Sirtuin-6 ("SIRT6") gene
variant that is found in centenarians into cells.

Its mission is to increase understanding of the factors that control and
impact lifespan. Genflow researches, develops, and commercialises therapeutic
solutions to lengthen health span, the amount of time we live in good health,
creating biological interventions that enable longer and healthier lives.
Genflow is dedicated to the development and commercialisation of novel
therapeutics targeting aging in dogs and humans. By treating aging, Genflow
can contribute to a decrease in healthcare costs and lessen the emotional and
societal burden that comes with an aging population.

To learn more visit www.genflowbio.com (http://www.genflowbio.com)

About Organips

Organips, in Montpellier, France, is dedicated to becoming the world leader of
reconstructed organs with differentiated cells from induced pluripotent cells:
the mission of Organips is to become the premier provider of human pancreases
and bladders for transplantation. Organips is dedicated to building long-term
relationships with federal agencies involved in the regulation of the medical
care system and most importantly with patients.

About Prof Jean-Marc Lemaitre

Jean-Marc Lemaitre is the co-founder and co-director of the Institute of
Regenerative Medicine and Biotherapies of Montpellier, France. He started his
career in 1984 as an engineer at the National Centre for Scientific Research.
He completed his Ph.D. in molecular and cellular biology at Paris Diderot
University in 1995, and went on to complete his post-doctoral degree at the
Jacques Monod Institute in Paris. He joined the Institute of Human Genetics of
Montpellier (IGH) and then obtained tenure as a senior scientist at the
National Institute for Scientific and Medical Research (INSERM) in 1984.
Awarded by the AVENIR INSERM Program in 2006, he first worked as an
independent group leader at the Institute of Functional Genomics of
Montpellier (IGF), working on Genome plasticity in aging.

A notable achievement, Professor Lemaitre demonstrated the existence of an
overlap between mitosis and S phase in rapid cell early embryogenesis
(Lemaitre et al., JCB 1998), identified CDC6, the only oocyte missing
replicating factor translated during maturation to give the competence to
replicate to the embryo (Lemaitre et al., Nature 2002), identified mitosis as
a key step in the reprogramming of the genome in nuclear transfer experiments
(Lemaitre et al., Cell 2005). He also demonstrated cellular aging
reversibility through a patented iPSC reprogramming strategy (Lapasset et
al., Genes &Dev 2011). He mapped replication origins in human cells and
identified a G-quadruplexes as a consensus sequence for priming (Besnard et
al., NSMB 2012) and identified replication timing domain signatures of
physiological and accelerated aging (Riveria-Mulla et al., PNAS 2017). He
further identified DNMT1 as a major actor in the reorganisation of chromosomes
in SAHFs during senescence induced by oncogene (Sati et al., Mol Cell 2020).

In addition, he is the co-founder and advisor to two start-ups, Ingraalys,
which is dedicated to skin rejuvenation and hair regrowth by reprogramming
strategies and Organips, which is dedicated to the production of human organs
from iPSC derivatives.

 

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