On June 22, 2015, the ReNeuron Group plc (AIM: RENE), a leading UK-based stem cell therapy company, announced the extension of an ongoing research collaboration with Australia-based Benitec Biopharma following positive results in early studies. Researchers at ReNeuron and Benitec, a leader in the field of therapeutics focused on gene silencing, have discovered that ReNeuron’s CTX-stem-cell-line-derived exosomes are potentially an effective delivery system for Benitec’s proprietary DNA-directed RNA inhibition (ddRNAi) gene silencing technology, resulting in the silencing of specific genes in recipient cells to beneficial therapeutic effect. These early studies also indicate that ReNeuron’s CTX stem cells are a more effective producer cell type for this purpose than are mesenchymal cells, a widely used cell type against disease targets in stem cell therapy. Following these exploratory studies, ReNeuron is extending its research collaboration with Benitec in order to further test the potential of this combination technology approach, targeting lung cancer and other drug-resistant cancers. ReNeuron is a first-mover in the field of exosome-based therapeutics and has filed multiple patent applications covering the composition, manufacture, and therapeutic use of its exosome nanomedicine platform. Exosomes are nanoparticles secreted from all cells and which are believed to play a key role in the transfer of beneficial proteins and particularly non-coding RNAs from one cell to another. ReNeuron aims to exploit the therapeutic potential of exosomes derived from its own proprietary stem cell lines. Dr. Peter French, Chief Executive Officer of Benitec, commented: “We are delighted to be working with ReNeuron in this exciting emerging field of gene- and cell-based therapeutics.Login Or Register To Read Full Story