• The partners of the European project gathered together online in the second scientific meeting of the initiative to overview the latest achievements done in the process of developing a new therapy to treat myocardial infarction patients
• CARDIOPATCH is developing technologies and protocols for standardized production and characterization of different types of therapy products for cardiac regenerative medicine

   

CARDIOPATCH Project, an initiative co-funded by the EU Interreg Sudoe Programme, via the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF), presented the 23th of June in a virtual meeting the advances made during the last three months in the scientific activities that surround its final mission, which is the development of a new model therapy for patients that have suffered a myocardial infarction. 

The partners that are part of the consortium of the European initiative gathered together to overview the latest achievements made in this process of research and investigation. 

During the online session each Work Package leader gave an updated analysis on the activities performed as well as the calendar to implement the WP’s deliverables and next steps in the upcoming months.

Lina Badimon, researcher from FIRHSCSP (Fundació Institut de Recerca Hospital de la Santa Creu i Sant Pau), started the meeting with the presentation of the advances done to increase the therapeutic proangiogenic potential of ADSC through their preconditioning with hypoxia and miRNA-based approaches. 

Then, Maxime Fayel from the Centre Hospitalier Universitaire de Toulouse introduced the developments developed to increase the therapeutic cardioprotective and pro-angiogenic potential of ADSC through gene therapy. 

After that, Margarida Serra and Marta Costa from the Instituto de Biologia Experimental e Tecnológica (IBET), gave an update about the protocols for the standardization of production and characterization of different types of therapy products for cardiac regenerative medicine.

Mariana Almeida, from GENIBET Biopharmaceuticals, followed their intervention presenting the advances done in the evaluation for the ATMP compliance of the developed protocols.

In addition, the advances focused on the functionalization of CARDIOREg patches with pro-angiogenic/cardioprotective proteins, were presented at the event by Eloise Kerignard, researcher from the Institut des Biomolécules Max Mousseron (IBMM). 

Beatriz Pelacho, from CIMA Universidad de Navarra, continued with the scientific meeting giving an update on the developments done to determinate the therapeutic potential of the cellularized and/or functionalized patch to select the best product for preclinical testing.

And to conclude the virtual event, Ixone Juaristi and Uzuri Urtaza from the partner Leartiker presented the scientific advances made in the development of new rolling collagen scaffolds for heart implantation by mini-thoracotomy, and on the development of a 3D system for the culture and transport of the cellularized patch. 

CARDIOPATCH partners will experiment the collagen scaffolds in vivo and test the fibrine in order to see if it can be attached properly. The objective of this testing will be to determine the better delivery of the patch to the patients. 

These progresses are crucial for the initiative’s development of a stem-cell smart patch able to regenerate tissues damaged by infarction. The project also aims to develop a roll-up 3D device which will allow the patch implantation in the heart through less invasive methods and a 3D system to generalize the patch’ production and streamline transport.

Coordinated by Clínica Universidad de Navarra (CUN), the project includes partners from Spain, France and Portugal. Alongside of CUN, the consortium is made up by CIMA Universidad de Navarra, via the Foundation for Applied Medical Research, Leartiker Technology Center, Institut de Recerca de l’Hospital de la Santa Creu i Sant Pau, communication agency GUK, Centre Hospitalier Universitaire de Toulouse, the University of Montpellier (UM) - Institut des Biomolécules Max Mousseron (IBMM), GenIbet Biopharmaceuticals and the Instituto de Biologia Experimental e Tecnológica.