Australian company Cynata Therapeutics (ASX:CYP) says it has begun patient enrolment in its MEND (MEseNchymal coviD-19) trial.
The trial will investigate the early efficacy of the companys proprietary Cymerus mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) in adults admitted to intensive care with COVID-19.
According to Dr Kilian Kelly, Cynata’s chief operating officer, “The opening of enrolment of this clinical trial is a major achievement for Cynata. The trial builds on the solid pre-clinical foundations for the use of our Cymerus MSC technology in respiratory diseases, including acute respiratory distresssyndrome (ARDS), as well as cytokine release syndrome and sepsis, all of which are hallmarks of critically ill COVID-19 patients.”
“Cynata’s proprietary Cymerus technology uniquely enables the manufacture at scale of a consistent and robust MSC product without the substantial functional heterogeneity, i.e. lack of consistency, that has been observed between MSC batches derived from different donors. We look forward to advancing this clinical trial to investigate the potential benefits our MSCs could have to treat patientsin dire need during this global pandemic,” added Dr Kelly.