HEAL | HLA-homozygous iPSC-cardiomyocytE Aggregate manufacturing technoLogies for allogenic cell therapy to the heart

Summary
HEAL will focus on general bottlenecks to induced pluripotent stem cell therapies with a particular focus on heart failure, which remains a major cause of morbidity and mortality with very few treatment options.

HLA-homozygous cell line derived cardiomyocyte aggregates offer the prospect of a restorative heart therapy applicable to large patient populations and to overcome economic barriers associated with autologous approaches. By developing solutions for their mass-production and cryopreservation we will enable allogeneic treatment with minimum requirements for immunosuppression.

Assays for assessment of immunogenicity will provide data for the development of an artificial intelligence powered algorithm to predict recipients's immune responses for personalised design of immunosuppression protocols.

A potency assay to assure product effectiveness will be developed together with assays of tumorigenicity in vitro and in vivo that meet and exceed current regulatory requirements. A genetic integrity pipeline defining the most sensitive assays for rigorous assessment will be developed and a rescue tool in the form of a biallelic suicide gene for programmed cell death will add to the safety toolbox for the therapy.

Optimisation of cell-product administration in terms of retention and engraftment, including catheter-based delivery as minimally invasive alternative to surgical application, and assessment of risks of graft-induced arrhythmia will be determined in a pig model.

Early dialogues, via established links, to the regulatory authorities will ensure proper development according to GMP requirements.

Freedom to operate and licensing strategies with a health technology and infrastructure assessment of European centres will set the scene for approval of the cell product and related assays and protocols for storage and distribution required to progress towards a first in man study of cell-based heart repair.
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More information & hyperlinks
Web resources: https://cordis.europa.eu/project/id/101056712
Start date: 01-09-2022
End date: 28-02-2026
Total budget - Public funding: 5 824 075,00 Euro - 5 824 074,00 Euro
Cordis data

Original description

HEAL will focus on general bottlenecks to induced pluripotent stem cell therapies with a particular focus on heart failure, which remains a major cause of morbidity and mortality with very few treatment options.

HLA-homozygous cell line derived cardiomyocyte aggregates offer the prospect of a restorative heart therapy applicable to large patient populations and to overcome economic barriers associated with autologous approaches. By developing solutions for their mass-production and cryopreservation we will enable allogeneic treatment with minimum requirements for immunosuppression.

Assays for assessment of immunogenicity will provide data for the development of an artificial intelligence powered algorithm to predict recipients's immune responses for personalised design of immunosuppression protocols.

A potency assay to assure product effectiveness will be developed together with assays of tumorigenicity in vitro and in vivo that meet and exceed current regulatory requirements. A genetic integrity pipeline defining the most sensitive assays for rigorous assessment will be developed and a rescue tool in the form of a biallelic suicide gene for programmed cell death will add to the safety toolbox for the therapy.

Optimisation of cell-product administration in terms of retention and engraftment, including catheter-based delivery as minimally invasive alternative to surgical application, and assessment of risks of graft-induced arrhythmia will be determined in a pig model.

Early dialogues, via established links, to the regulatory authorities will ensure proper development according to GMP requirements.

Freedom to operate and licensing strategies with a health technology and infrastructure assessment of European centres will set the scene for approval of the cell product and related assays and protocols for storage and distribution required to progress towards a first in man study of cell-based heart repair.

Status

SIGNED

Call topic

HORIZON-HLTH-2021-TOOL-06-02

Update Date

09-02-2023
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Horizon Europe
HORIZON.2 Global Challenges and European Industrial Competitiveness
HORIZON.2.1 Health
HORIZON.2.1.5 Tools, Technologies and Digital Solutions for Health and Care, including personalised medicine
HORIZON-HLTH-2021-TOOL-06
HORIZON-HLTH-2021-TOOL-06-02 Next generation advanced therapies to treat highly prevalent and high burden diseases with unmet medical needs