Corline Systems AB

Corline Systems AB is part of a consortium led by Uppsala University to develop a new application for kidney transplantation based on Corline’s CHC™ technology platform. Project budget is 5 MSEK over 24 months of which 2 MSEK will be provided by Uppsala Bio and its BIO-X grant vehicle.

“We are very proud that the CHC™ project was one of just four selected by the BIO-X committee out of more than 58 applications. This further strengthens our belief in our product platform and puts Corline in an excellent position to deliver patient benefits and shareholder value in yet another regenerative medicine application”, comments CEO Henrik Nittmar.

The grant supports a Proof-of-Concept project over 2 years by which a consortium consisting of research groups at Corline and Uppsala University representing both the immunology (Peetra Magnusson) and transplantation (Tomas Lorant) departments, which together will develop pre-clinical data for Corline’s CHC™ technology as used to prevent ischemia/reperfusion injury (IRI) in kidney transplantation.

IRI affects 20-40 % of all patients undergoing kidney transplantation and leads to delayed graft function and increased risk of re-transplantation. Both conditions involve serious health risks for patients and represent significant costs to the health care system. According to WHO, each year more than 60,000 kidneys are transplanted world-wide and the number of patients on the waiting list to receive an organ exceeds 200,000. As each transplanted kidney potentially saves both lives and health care cost it is paramount to improve transplantation outcome in every possible way. There are currently no effective treatments for IRI approved in the EU and US or any other major market.

The research consortium has been able to show in pre-clinical models that CHC™ administered during cold preservation of the kidney prior to transplantation will self-organize on the blood vessel wall of the organ and protect against inflammation and thrombosis when blood is re-connected and flow through the kidney. It was also evident that this leads to a better kidney function.

“Repeatedly we are able to show new application opportunities for our unique CHC™ platform in the growing regenerative medicine market. Kidney transplantation is an excellent example where we combine a well-known pharmaceutical entity such as heparin and its safety profile, with the possibility to administer and present it locally, exactly where it is needed. We totally avoid systemic distribution and its potential negative side-effect. This is a truly unique and therapeutically very strong approach. Now, the consortium is focusing on developing the pre-clinical data needed to take this concept to clinical use to the benefit of patients world-wide. We are excited”, concludes CEO Henrik Nittmar.