Pamisel Selected for Bladder Cell Therapy Regenerative Medical Technology Development Project

Pharmicell announced on the 10th that its research project, "Development of a Therapeutic Agent for Diabetic Detrusor Underactivity Using Multifunctional Primed Mesenchymal Stem Cells," has been selected for the '2024 Pan-Government Regenerative Medicine Technology Development Project.'

The Pan-Government Regenerative Medicine Technology Development Project is an initiative led by the Ministry of Science and ICT and the Ministry of Health and Welfare to secure core foundational technologies in regenerative medicine and to develop regenerative medical therapeutics and treatment technologies through clinical linkage. The selected project is led by Seoul Asan Medical Center as the principal institution, with Pharmicell and the College of Medicine at Ulsan National University participating as joint development institutions.

Detrusor underactivity (DUA) refers to a condition where the contraction strength of the detrusor muscle decreases, accompanied by symptoms such as low urine flow rate (hypoactive urination), urinary hesitancy, straining to urinate, and significant residual urine. As the disease progresses, it greatly reduces the patient's quality of life; however, there is currently no fundamental treatment such as surgery. Patients must undergo 'clean intermittent catheterization,' where they insert a catheter themselves into the urethra to remove residual urine from the bladder, alongside drug therapy. Due to the limited therapeutic effects and side effects of existing treatments, recent preclinical studies have emerged aiming to fundamentally regenerate the bladder's nerves and detrusor muscle using stem cells.

This project aims to develop a next-generation stem cell therapy for diabetic detrusor underactivity, a refractory disease, by applying a culture technology that optimizes a combination of small molecules to simultaneously enhance the stemness, engraftment rate, and antioxidant capacity of mesenchymal stem cells without genetic modification.

A Pharmicell representative stated, "Through this joint research, Pharmicell will establish culture methods and standard operating procedures for clinical trial-grade umbilical cord-derived stem cells, develop specialized culture media for mass production of next-generation stem cell therapeutics, and produce and supply cells for clinical trials. The final goal of this project is clinical trial approval, and upon completion, rapid clinical trials are expected to lead to the development of innovative treatments for detrusor underactivity."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.