Choroid plexus tissue shipped to Sydney as NTCELL research advances

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Living Cell Technologies (ASX:LCT) has advanced its Parkinson’s disease research with choroid plexus tissue successfully shipped from New Zealand to Australia as part of the third clinical trial of NTCELL.

The company said the choroid plexus (porcine brain) tissue was provided by New Zealand biotech NZeno from its designated pathogen-free facility in Invercargill.

Following receipt of an import permit from the Australian Government’s Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry, the tissue was shipped to Australia and transported to its research partner, the University of Technology Sydney (UTS) in preparation for the manufacturing of NTCELL.

LCT’s Research Agreement with UTS and the Australian Foundation for Diabetes Research enables the production of NTCELL in Australia.

Once production of NTCELL has been optimised, it will be manufactured at a Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP) facility for use in the Company’s third clinical trial of NTCELL in Parkinson’s disease.

LCT executive chairman Professor Bernie Tuch said, “We are delighted to have received the shipment of choroid plexus tissue in Sydney in preparation for the manufacturing of NTCELL in Australia for the very first time.

“This is another key step as we advance our potentially groundbreaking research into Parkinson’s disease, with no current treatment available to prevent progression of the disease.”

Under an agreement with OptiCellAI, artificial intelligence (AI) technology will be used to optimise and select NTCELL for implantation into the brains of people with early to mid-stage Parkinson’s disease, as a potential treatment for the disease.

Regulatory approval from the TGA is required prior to the first clinical trial, with similar trials having previously been undertaken in New Zealand.

The first trial participants are expected to receive treatment in 2024.