China-based Vcanbio Cell & Gene Engineering Corp., Ltd (SHA: 600645) has announced receiving clinical trial approval from the Center for Drug Evaluation (CDE) for its VUM02 (human umbilical cord-derived mesenchymal stem cells), a Category 1 therapeutic biologic product. The therapy is set to be assessed as a treatment for idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF).
VUM02: An Innovative Stem-Cell Preparation for IPF
VUM02 is an in-house developed cryopreserved stem-cell preparation derived from umbilical cord tissue of healthy fetuses after isolation, screening, and amplification in vitro. The therapy is being developed to treat patients with IPF, chronic and acute (subacute) liver failure, acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS), and other conditions.
Understanding Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis (IPF)
IPF is a rare disease in China, characterized as a chronic, progressive, and fibrotic interstitial lung disease with unknown etiology. It is mainly manifested as progressive exacerbation of breathing difficulties. While pirfenidone and nintedanib are available to treat IPF in China by delaying the disease progression, the study of VUM02 has shown that it is safe and well tolerated, with a tendency to improve patient lung function indicators and delay the progression of pulmonary fibrosis.-Fineline Info & Tech
