Orgenesis, a manufacturer, service provider and developer of advanced cell therapies, along with BGN Technologies and the National Institute for Biotechnology in the Negev (NIBN), both affiliates of Ben-Gurion University of the Negev (BGU), have formed a collaboration to develop and commercialize a novel alginate scaffold technology for cell transplantation, with an initial focus on autoimmune diseases.

The technology was invented and developed by Prof. Smadar Cohen, The Regenerative Medicine and Stem Cell (RMSC) Research Center and Department of Biotechnology Engineering, BGU and Prof. Alon Monsonego, Faculty of Health Sciences and NIBN, BGU.

Under the license agreement, Orgenesis will receive the exclusive, worldwide right to make, develop and commercialize products utilizing the novel scaffold technology, subject to achieving certain milestones.

“We are proud to partner with leading scientists at Ben-Gurion University, who developed a breakthrough platform for cell transplantation, providing an ideal immunoregulatory environment within a highly vascularized macroporous alginate scaffold,” said Vered Caplan, chief executive officer, Orgenesis. “We believe that this advanced scaffold technology offers a number of promising advantages including improved immunomodulation, a 3D cell configuration designed to enhance the target cell performance, and a highly vascularized scaffold structure to enhance oxygen delivery to the target cells. Initial in-vitro and in-vivo testing have been positive, and we are excited about the potential of this technology to enhance a wide range of autologous and allogeneic cell therapies.”

Ora Horovitz, senior vice president, business development, BGN Technologies, said, “We are excited to partner with Orgenesis, a leader and pioneer in the field of cell therapy. By combining our scaffold technology with a number of the unique cell therapies Orgenesis is developing, along with other co-development partners of Orgenesis, we believe our technology can facilitate immune tolerance and improve cell performance after implantation, thereby potentially improving clinical outcomes. Moreover, we believe that Orgenesis has developed a highly scalable and cost-effective platform for commercialization of new cell therapies, including clinical development, cell manufacturing, and logistics, which could potentially help accelerate the path to market for these breakthrough technologies.”