16 Mar Cellular Logistics Wins NIH SBIR Grant Award
MADISON, Wis., March 09, 2021 – Cellular Logistics has been awarded a $321,000 SBIR grant from the National Institutes of Health to optimize an induced pluripotent stem cell-derived cardiac fibroblast (iPSC-CF) technology to assemble Tandem™ HF biomaterial to facilitate heart failure treatment.
The aim of this grant is to develop a second manufacturing pipeline of cardiac fibroblasts to manufacture Cellular Logistics’ novel Tandem™ HF biomaterial. iPSC-CF has the potential to offer a new predictable, renewable, and scalable cell source for Tandem™ HF production.
Tandem™ HF is a highly promising, regenerative medicine biomaterial designed to revitalize damaged heart tissue and create unique opportunities for cell/gene/protein–based combination therapies for patients suffering from heart failure, which is a leading cause of death and hospitalization in the United States. 6.5 million Americans currently suffer from heart failure and this number is expected to exceed 8 million by 2030.
“This NIH funding will enable Cellular Logistics to develop enhanced Tandem™ HF manufacturing capabilities and increase the ability to distribute the product more widely,” said Dr. Eric Schmuck, vice president, and chief scientific officer of Cellular Logistics.
“Success in the proposed milestones will establish a strong foundation for scale–up of cGMP manufacturing in anticipation of human trials, and open avenues for “tuning” the biomaterial to meet clinical needs,” says Dr. Schmuck.
Cellular Logistics will be collaborating with the laboratory of Tim Kamp, M.D., Ph.D. at the University of Wisconsin-Madison on this project. “This grant award by the NIH is a significant step forward for Cellular Logistics to advance a new approach to treat heart failure,” said Dr. Kamp, M.D., Ph.D. “We believe that Tandem HF offers a powerful combination of extracellular matrix components that can enable cell-based repair of damaged hearts.”
Cellular Logistics holds an exclusive license from the Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation (WARF) to the Tandem technology.
About Cellular Logistics
Cellular Logistics, Inc. is dedicated to improving the lives of individuals suffering from heart failure. CL was founded in 2016 by a multi-disciplinary clinical and scientific team from the University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Medicine and Public Health. Our company vision is to help create a world where a new generation of therapies can reverse the debilitating symptoms of heart failure; dramatically reducing re-hospitalization and enabling patients to live longer, healthier lives. Our product, Tandem™ HF, holds the promise of revitalizing a damaged heart and creating unique combined therapeutic approaches for the world’s leading cause of death. Located in Madison, Wisconsin, CL resides in one of the premier scientific ecosystems in the world for cell therapy and regenerative medicine.