Published 01 Apr.2022 11:24(KST)
[Asia Economy Reporter Hyungsoo Park] Industry interest is growing in ‘Cellgram-LC,’ an alcoholic liver cirrhosis stem cell therapy developed by Pharmicell.
Pharmicell announced on the 1st that research results mentioning the therapeutic effects of Cellgram-LC were presented at the Asia-Pacific Association for the Study of the Liver (APASL) conference, held from the 30th of last month to the 3rd of this month. APASL is one of the world's top three liver specialist associations.
At the ‘State of the Art Lecture’ session, which is given only to authorities in each field, Wonju Yonsei Medical Center Director Baek Soon-gu explained, "Mesenchymal stem cells (MSC) are one of the major trends in regenerative medicine for liver cirrhosis," adding, "When a therapy using these cells was administered, not only was there a reduction in collagen area, which measures the degree of liver fibrosis, but also a decrease in the Child-Pugh score, which evaluates liver function."
He continued, "As a result, mesenchymal stem cell therapy is considered a safe and effective treatment method."
Currently, there is no treatment for liver cirrhosis other than liver transplantation, and conservative therapy to prevent liver function loss is the only option. In contrast, Cellgram-LC is a treatment for alcoholic liver cirrhosis that utilizes the characteristics of mesenchymal stem cells, which can differentiate into various cell types. It is expected to improve fibrosis in damaged liver tissue and restore liver function.
A Pharmicell official stated, "Cellgram-LC has successfully completed Phase 2 clinical trials to prove efficacy and safety," and introduced, "Phase 3 clinical trials are currently underway at 11 institutions, including Wonju Severance Christian Hospital, Korea University Anam Hospital, Soonchunhyang University Seoul Hospital, Chuncheon Sacred Heart Hospital, Eunpyeong St. Mary’s Hospital, and Seoul National University Hospital."