Israeli company receives US patent for innovative drug therapy to treat spinal cord injuries

Israeli biopharmaceutical company NurExone Biologic was awarded a U.S. patent in May to protect its ExoPTEN technology, used to treat traumatic spinal cord injuries.  

ExoPTEN, the company's first proprietary drug, will allow surgeons to access the central nervous system more quickly and was developed for use with their existing ExoTherapy Platform.

The revolutionary therapy uses exosomes, which contain therapeutic molecules that are able to cross the blood-brain barrier to reach cells and tissues, causing regeneration, rewiring and recovery.

In addition, ExoPTEN can be administered to patients in a non-invasive procedure, by delivering the exosomes into the bloodstream via the nose.

The new therapy will prevent patients from having to undergo painful and complicated spinal surgery and is reportedly a significantly better solution than cell therapy, which involves the process of injecting, grafting or implanting viable cells into the patient.

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), between 250,000 and 500,000 people reportedly suffer from a spinal cord injury (SCI) each year worldwide, with some 90% of those injuries caused by accidents or acts of violence. Spinal cord damage is typically a dangerous condition requiring immediate attention, as it can cause the legs, arms or neck to become paralyzed. NurExone’s solution will reportedly reverse the devastating effects of nervous system injuries.

"We are delighted to receive promising results from this study, which demonstrated reinnervation as a result of our ExoPTEN product," said NurExone’s CEO Dr. Lior Shaltiel.

"Moreover, it validates the functional recovery we observed with the non-invasive administration of our investigational ExoPTEN drug. We are eager to advance our research and clinical trials to translate these results to the millions of human patients in need."

Israel is expected to be one of the first countries to test ExoPTEN therapy, along with the United States and Canada, and human trials are expected to begin in late 2024 or early 2025.

Research on laboratory rats began in 2014, but the initial product that NurExone based itself on was only established in 2018-19. The experiment showed a 75% response and there will be additional tests carried out in 2023 with NurExone's most advanced product, following the transfer of the technology to the company. The product is expected to be improved in both the loading method and in the sequence of the siRNA against PTEN.

NurExone Biologic, located in Israel’s northern city, Haifa, aims to revolutionize recovery from nervous system injuries by regenerating and rewiring neurons. The biopharmaceutical company develops and commercializes an exosome therapy and products for a global market projected at $5.2 billion dollars and is publicly traded, with headquarters in Toronto, Canada.