Magellan Stem Cells has welcomed a $7 million grant from the federal government’s Medical Research Future Fund (MRFF) to help fund a Phase 3 human trial of the company’s donor stem cell treatment for osteoarthritis.
In announcing the grant, Health Minister Mark Butler said, “We are living through a supercharged period of discovery in health and medical research, and the Albanese Government is proud to support Australia’s world class researchers.
“Stem cell therapies could provide innovative treatments for many chronic and inherited diseases we can’t yet treat effectively. Such therapies could also revolutionise how we test and develop new medications."
Magellan’s Phase 3 osteoarthritis trial is one of six projects sharing $34.5 million supported by the MRFF Stem Cell Therapies Research Grant Opportunity.
“Osteoarthritis is a huge cause of pain and disability in Australia,” said Minister Butler. “Up until now the treatments only extended to pain relief and potentially replacement surgery, like knee replacements.”
The trial of Magellan’s donor stem cell treatment for osteoarthritis is scheduled to begin next year.
The grant was announced following the publication of research by Magellan, which demonstrated the potential for significant therapeutic benefits of its MAG200, an off-the-shelf donor stem cell therapy for osteoarthritis.
The research findings are published in Osteoarthritis and Cartilage Open.
Lead researcher and Magellan chief medical officer, Associate Professor Julien Freitag, said, “We are very grateful to the Australian Government and the
Medical Research Future Fund (MRFF) for their support for this potentially life-changing technology.
“The grant is a vote of confidence in the future of the Australian biotech sector, stem cell technology and Magellan’s ground-breaking research.”