REG - BSF Enterprise PLC - Kerato Ltd Partners with University of Montreal

BSF EnterpriseAnnouncement

12/08/2024 07:00

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RNS Number : 9857Z  BSF Enterprise PLC  12 August 2024

 

12 August 2024

BSF Enterprise PLC

 

Kerato Ltd Partners with University of Montreal to develop

a novel treatment for corneal damage

 

BSF the Main Market listed biotech company and owner of corneal tissue
replacement company Kerato Ltd, is pleased to announce that Kerato Ltd has
entered into a Heads of Terms agreement and research partnership with the
University of Montreal in Canada.

 

BSF's 100% owned Kerato is an independent company established to commercialise
new innovations in tissue engineering towards in vitro and in vivo corneal
use.

 

As part of this strategy, Kerato will work with the University of Montreal,
combining tissue engineering expertise to further develop an in-situ gelling
cornea that offers a novel treatment for corneal damage and full thickness
perforations.

 

Corneas are the most frequently transplanted human tissue worldwide, with
around 185,000 procedures per annum(1). However, it is estimated that 55% of
the world's population do not have access to donor material(1) with an
estimated 12.7 million people worldwide waiting for a transplan(t2). The
global artificial cornea and corneal implant market was valued at $ 421
million in 2021(3), of which Kerato estimates its serviceable market to be
$37.6 million.  The total market is expected to grow at 6.9% per annum to
reach $ 767.5 million by 2030(3).

 

Kerato's treatment combines host corneal stromal cells with a synthetic
extracellular matrix protein sequence to support tissue healing and
re-epithelialization of the surface of the eye.  Administered via injections
to repair damaged tissue rather than performing full transplant surgery, the
treatment is expected to greatly reduce the complexity of procedures for many
patients. This is expected to reduce time in hospital, decrease the likelihood
of graft rejection, reduce costs for health service providers and result in
better patient outcomes.

 

New tissue resulting from the treatment comprising the patient's own stromal
cells, is transparent and replicates the natural curvature of the eye. Stromal
cells comprise the extracellular matrix that provide structural support for
organs. Kerato's Intellectual property and academic partners have previously
demonstrated the critical role of corneal stromal cells in engineering a
healthy extracellular matrix, and the impact that biomechanics can have on
tissue regeneration.(3)

 

The partnership with the University of Montreal will build on the successful
pre-clinical studies and academic work of Professor May Griffith, advancing
the translation of the prototype corneal treatment and taking it through
safety and efficacy studies, completing clinical trials and gaining regulatory
approvals before launching on to international markets.

 

To de-risk this (as well as shorten time to market) the new approach will
first be trialled in the veterinary space giving animal owners much greater
access to complex corneal repair treatments.

 

Kerato's aim is to commercialise its advanced intellectual property in tissue
engineering and bio-engineered corneal products and accelerate progression
toward clinical and veterinary trials. Two applications are being developed,
an Implantable Medical Device and an Ocular Toxicity Testing Platform.

 

Sarah Greenhalgh, Managing Director at Kerato Ltd said: "This project with the
University of Montreal marks the next step in the growth and development of
Kerato's corneal regenerative therapy technologies. Stromal stem cells
significantly contribute to corneal clarity by replenishing damaged or aged
keratocytes. We are excited to be working on a transformative treatment for
the repair of corneal damage which can reduce costs for healthcare providers
and support improved patient outcomes."

 

(1)Gain P, Jullienne R, He Z, Aldossary M, Acquart S, Cognasse F, Thuret G.
Global Survey of Corneal

Transplantation and Eye Banking. JAMA Ophthalmol. 2016 Feb;134(2):167-73. doi:

10.1001/jamaophthalmol.2015.4776. PMID: 26633035

 

(2)Gain P, Jullienne R, He Z, et al. Global Survey of Corneal Transplantation
and Eye Banking. JAMA Ophthalmol.

2016;134(2):167-173. doi:10.1001/jamaophthalmol.2015.4776

 

(3)Artificial Cornea and Corneal Implant Market Report, 2030
(strategicmarketresearch.com), accessed 9/04/24

 

(4)Gouveia, R.M., Lepert, G., Gupta, S. et al. Assessment of corneal substrate
biomechanics and its effect on epithelial stem cell maintenance and
differentiation. Nat Commun 10, 1496 (2019).
https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-019-09331-6
(https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-019-09331-6)

 

For further enquiries, please visit www.bsfenterprise.com or contact:

 BSF Enterprise PLC

                                         Via SEC Newgate below
 Geoff Baker - Executive Director

 Che Connon - CEO & Director

 Shard Capital (Broker)
 Damon Heath                             0207 186 9000

 Isabella Pierre                         0207 186 9927

 SEC Newgate (Financial Communications)
 Bob Huxford                             020 3757 6882

 Elisabeth Cowell                        BSF@secnewgate.co.uk

 George Esmond

 

About BSF Enterprise PLC

BSF Enterprise PLC (BSF) is the parent to a portfolio of innovative subsidiary
companies focused on developing and commercialising cell-based tissue
engineering solutions to deliver sustainable outcomes across a variety of
sectors. Its portfolio of subsidiaries, of which it owns 100% with the
exception of 50% owned CMT, is as follows:

3DBT A pioneering UK-based tissue engineering company that successfully
produced the UK's first high-quality cultivated meat.

Lab-Grown Leather Ltd A company focused on the customer driven development of
cultivated skin technology to produce sustainable leather.

Kerato Ltd A tissue engineering company with patent-protected IP that is
already producing human corneas for testing to help restore vision to millions
of people.

BSF Enterprise (Hong Kong) Limited A company established to actively support
commercialisation of BSF's technology in China and Asia.

Cultured Meat Technologies (CMT) A 50% owned joint venture with
CellulaRevolution Ltd (CellRev), focused on providing the market with the
premier platform for manufacturing cultivated meat in a scalable and
cost-competitive manner.

BSF's core strategy is to acquire, invest in, or develop joint ventures with,
the most promising companies from across the industry. In doing so BSF intends
to create an environment in which its portfolio of companies can flourish and
collaborate, thereby accelerating their progress, potential and time to
market.

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