EdiGene Enters Strategic R&D Collaboration with Haihe Laboratory of Cell Ecosystem to Develop Hematopoietic Stem Cell Regenerative Therapies and Platform Technologies
24 January 2022 - 12:35PM
Business Wire
EdiGene, Inc., a global biotechnology company focused on
translating gene-editing technologies into transformative therapies
for patients with serious genetic diseases and cancer, announced a
research and development collaboration with Haihe Laboratory of
Cell Ecosystem to develop hematopoietic stem cell regenerative
therapies and platform technology by combining resources and
expertise from both sides.
The Haihe Laboratory of Cell Ecosystem, run by the Institute of
Hematology and Blood Diseases Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical
Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, is focused on conducting
fundamental research, innovation, and translation in the cell
ecosystem.
Under the agreement, both parties will jointly develop
hematopoietic stem cell regenerative therapies, including the
development of innovative genetically-modified hematopoietic stem
cell therapies and the exploration of novel biomarkers to optimize
quality control for stem cell production.
“With top-notch resources and industry-university-research
cooperation, we’ll facilitate the development of cell-based
medicine and therapies,” said Professor Tao Cheng, Deputy Director
of Haihe Laboratory of Cell Ecosystem and President of the
Institute of Hematology and Blood Diseases Hospital at the Chinese
Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, a
leading hematology researcher who has made a series of discoveries
relating to the regulatory and regenerative mechanisms of
hematopoietic stem cells. “Hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) have the
potential for long-term self-renewal and can differentiate into
various types of mature blood cells. These stem cells can be
harnessed to provide treatment for a broad range of diseases such
as hematological tumors, autoimmune diseases, and hereditary blood
disorders. We believe that this collaboration with EdiGene will
accelerate the innovation and translation in the field of HSCs,
thus enabling healthier patients with new therapies."
Professor Cheng was awarded the second prize of the National
Natural Science Award 2020 as the first author of work on basic and
translational research that advanced the development of adult
hematopoietic stem cells for therapeutic applications.
EdiGene is scaling up clinical translation and development of
the first gene-editing hematopoietic stem cell therapy in China
following the 2021 approval by the China National Medical Products
Administration its IND for its investigational therapy ET-01. “Our
team has extensive experience in the development and translation of
cutting-edge technologies including hematopoietic stem cell and
gene editing,” said Dong Wei, Ph.D., CEO of EdiGene. "This
collaboration with Haihe Laboratory of Cell Ecosystem will further
our exploration in the field of hematopoietic stem cells. The
partnership with this leading academic institute and our
translational know-how enable us to move forward in bringing more
innovative treatment options to patients in China and around the
world.”
In 2021, EdiGene initiated a Phase I multicenter clinical trial
of ET-01, its gene-editing hematopoietic stem cell therapy for
transfusion-dependent β-thalassemia. EdiGene has enrolled the first
patient at the Institute of Hematology and Blood Diseases Hospital,
Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical
College. Currently, the clinical trial is being conducted in
Tianjin and Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area (Greater Bay
Area). EdiGene also presented its latest research on new surface
markers and migration of hematopoietic stem cells at the 63rd
Annual Meeting of the American Society of Hematology (ASH) in
2021.
About Haihe Laboratory of Cell Ecosystem
The Haihe Laboratory of Cell Ecosystem ("the Laboratory"), run
by the Institute of Hematology and Blood Diseases Hospital, Chinese
Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, is
one of the five registered Haihe Laboratories approved by Tianjin
Municipal People's Government. With the goal of promoting
population health with cell ecosystem, the Laboratory adheres to
developing technological frontier, enhancing people’s health, and
promoting research, innovation, and development of cell ecosystem
in five key areas: cellular ecosystem, cellular ecology and
immunity, cellular ecological imbalance and major diseases,
cellular ecological reconstruction and frontier technology of
cellular ecological research.
About Institute of Hematology and Blood Diseases Hospital
(IH), Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences & Peking Union
Medical College (CAMS/PUMC)
Founded in 1957, IH is a tertiary specialty hospital under the
National Health Commission of China and is the supporting unit of
the National Clinical Research Center of Hematologic Diseases and
the State Key Laboratory of Experimental Hematology. It is also the
main founding unit of Tianjin Base, the core base of the Chinese
medical science and technology innovation system with the goal of
becoming "the innovation hub of hematology in China." IH mainly
engages in basic research, applied research, clinical diagnosis and
treatment of hematological diseases, standard-setting, new
technology research, new drug evaluation, and translation in
hematology and related fields. IH is leading in the diagnosis and
treatment of hematological diseases in China and a global scale and
has made original achievements. Since 2010, IH has been awarded
first place in the Hospital Specialty Reputation Ranking
(Hematology) for 12 consecutive years. It has won first place in
the Hematology Specialty Ranking for ten consecutive years since
2010 and ranked the first in hematology by the Scientific and
Technological Evaluation Metrics (STEM) for Chinese hospitals for
eight consecutive years since 2014.
About EdiGene, Inc
EdiGene is a global, clinical-stage biotechnology company
focused on translating gene editing technologies into
transformative therapies for patients with serious genetic diseases
and cancer. The company has established its proprietary ex vivo
genome-editing platforms for hematopoietic stem cells and T cells,
in vivo therapeutic platform based on RNA base editing, and
high-throughput genome-editing screening to discover novel targeted
therapies. Founded in 2015, EdiGene is headquartered in Beijing,
with offices in Guangzhou and Shanghai, China and Cambridge,
Massachusetts, USA. More information can be found at
www.EdiGene.com.
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Xiaomeng Zhang EdiGene, Inc. +86 10-80733899
media@edigene.com