Feb 5, 2024
Chris Paradise, VP of Research and Development at Rion, is taking an acellular approach to developing next-generation regenerative medicines to treat degenerative diseases. The proprietary Rion system PEP, purified exosome product, uses extracellular vesicles or exosomes isolated from human blood platelets to send regenerative messages to cells to stimulate faster healing. This regenerative therapeutic allows for the administration in various forms, such as nebulization for pulmonary conditions and topical application for wounds.
Chris explains, "What our focus has shifted towards at Rion is now an acellular approach, so it doesn't involve the use of cells or other components that have been proposed in the past. But we're focusing on extracellular vesicles or exosomes, and we can discuss those in more detail in a minute. But the point of emphasis is that it overcomes many of the limitations the field has previously faced. We're excited to offer reproducible, consistent, and, most importantly, accessible and affordable regenerative therapeutic with a significant impact."
"If you think about how two cells communicate with one another, one of the ways they do this is to send messages in little packages between one another, known as extracellular vesicles. It's the fundamental way that cells and tissues more broadly communicate with each other, send signals to one another, and respond to their environment. And so what you find within these vesicles is essentially what one cell is trying to say to another. And they're designed such that they're incredibly stable and designed to do exactly that, which is deliver messages to cells."
"I'll back up to the source of the material, which is human platelets. Most people are familiar with platelets as a key component of your blood. If we get an injury or a cut, the bleeding tends to stop relatively quickly. That's because platelets respond to that injury site and form a clot, which stops the bleeding. Much like the conversation about the newfound appreciation for exosomes, I've certainly gained a new appreciation for the impact platelets have, not only on the control of bleeding but, more importantly, the regenerative processes that are jump-started after that to heal the tissues."
#RionTX #RegenerativeMedicine #RegenerativeTherapeutics #Acellular #PlateletDerived #Exosomes
