Psilera, a biotechnology company developing groundbreaking therapies for hard-to-treat neurological disorders and Hesperos a leader in organ-on-a-chip technology, announced a strategic agreement to accelerate the preclinical development of Psilera’s lead compound, PSIL-006, targeting frontotemporal dementia (FTD).
The partnership leverages Hesperos’ proprietary Human-on-a-Chip® platform, which integrates patient-derived induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) into interconnected, multi-organ systems. This advanced modeling approach enables precise evaluation of drug efficacy and safety, recently touted by the FDA to reduce reliance on animal testing and expedite clinic-ready datasets.
“Our collaboration with Hesperos represents a significant step forward in our mission to develop new treatments for neurodegenerative diseases,” said Dr. Jackie von Salm, Co-Founder and Chief Scientific Officer of Psilera. “Utilizing their cutting-edge platform allows us to gain deeper insights into PSIL-006’s mechanism of action as we design our upcoming first-in-human trials.”
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Hesperos’ platform has been recognized for its ability to replicate human physiological responses, providing valuable data on drug interactions across multiple organ systems. The platform has successfully supported multiple Investigational New Drug (IND) and Orphan Drug Designation (ODD) applications, demonstrating its utility in advancing drug candidates toward clinical evaluation.
“We are excited to partner with Psilera as they advance next-generation neuroplastogens to potentially treat a range of hard-to-treat diseases,” said Dr. James Hickman, Co-Founder and Chief Scientist at Hesperos. “Our platform offers a unique opportunity to assess the compound’s effects on neural tissues derived from patients with neurodegeneration, potentially accelerating the development of a much-needed therapy utilizing clinically relevant functional readouts.”
SOURCE: PRNewswire