A few things about this award and the synergy that I see with one of the Big Pharma companies.
As we know, AstraZeneca was one of the companies whose executive(s) were on the review panel for this award.
AstraZeneca is actively involved in cell therapy and in particular, their very
FIRST venture into stem cell therapy is for
cardiac regeneration.
Myocardial Infarction, which is another name for
Heart Attack is one of their main focuses. AstraZeneca's exeutives, Regina Fritsche-Danielson and Johan Hyllner are tasked with CVRM (Cardiovascular, Renal and Metabolism) for Regenerative Medicine. An estimated 1 billion cardiomyocytes are lost in a heart attack. For regenerating damage heart muscle, blood vessels and lost cardiomyocytes, AstraZeneca has partnered with Procella Therapeutics and the Karolinska Institute in Sweden.
But here's the kicker:
Mesoblast's MPC-25-IC, which is a Phase 2 candidate addresses this very same thing that AstraZeneca is pursuing:
https://www.mesoblast.com/product-candidates/cardiovascular-diseases/acute-cardiac-ischemiaThis is a
SLAM DUNK fit for AstraZeneca since Mesoblast's MPC-25-IC aims to regenerate the very three things damaged by heart attack:
Heart Muscle
Blood Vessels
Cardiomyocytes
AstraZeneca's partners Procella and Karolinska Institute are novices and years behind Mesoblast in stem cell therapy.
In a previous post, I highlighted how Mesoblast has a patent to
prevent (repeat, prevent) and treat Transverse Myelitis. See my post here:
Post #:47257163AstraZeneca's Phase 3 COVID-19 vaccine trial by AstraZeneca was stopped because a woman in the UK, a trial participant, experienced neurological symptoms consistent with a rare but serious spinalinflammatory disordercalled transverse myelitis. The study has since been resumed but only in the UK (as of 09/12/2020).
Could Mesoblast's treatment to PREVENT transverse myelitis be given as a first step to people getting the COVID-19 vaccine? @vasilios picked up on this "synergy".
I know it's too soon to tell but could Remestemcel-L, which I am thinking more and more as a panacea to cure inflammation, be given a label extension to be given as a treatment along with a COVID-19 vaccine? Or for any other inflammation related viral infection vaccine for that matter?
That would be ginormous.
As I mentioned AstraZeneca's Regina Fritsche-Danielson and Johan Hyllner are tasked with CVRM (Cardiovascular, Renal and Metabolism) for Regenerative Medicine, there is a synergy with Mesoblast on the Renal side of it as well - through Mesoblast's MPC-300-IV Phase 2 candidate for treating diabetic kidney disease.
Look - I believe AstraZeneca knows what Mesoblast is doing. And they know it better than any one of us and all of the ANALysts combined. This award that Mesoblast received is no coincidence. Big Pharma knows and is now FINALLY believing in stem cell therapy.
PS: In a future post, I will highlight how the Pharma industry has been sleeping on the NUMBER 1 killer in the world, heart disease and how Mesoblast is best positioned in CHF and Myocardial Infarction because of that.
(20min delay)