On September 22, 2023 Coya Therapeutics, Inc. (Nasdaq: COYA) ("Coya" or the "Company"), a clinical-stage biotechnology company developing biologics and cell therapies intended to enhance the function of Tregs, reported licensing of the exclusive, worldwide rights of a proprietary Exosome Engineering Technology from CMU with potential applications across multiple indications, including neurodegeneration, autoimmune, and oncology (Press release, Coya Therapeutics, SEP 22, 2023, View Source [SID1234635345]).
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This technology is versatile, permitting the modification of exosomes from different biological sources while overcoming several of the scale-up and manufacturing challenges encountered with exosomes, including not requiring genetic manipulation. In addition, the ability to customize the surface of the exosome with a protein of interest while loading the interior of the exosome with cargo opens possibilities across multiple therapeutic areas beyond neurodegenerative diseases.
Data was recently presented at the 5th Exosome Based Therapeutic Development Summit in Boston, MA on September 7, 2023, demonstrating that Treg exosome membranes could be engineered to controllably immobilize CTLA-4, a membrane surface active protein, onto the Treg exosome surface resulting in stable CTLA-4-Treg exosomes. CTLA-4-Treg exosomes dramatically increased targeting of, binding to, internalization of, and uptake into immune cells including macrophages and T cells. Previously, using the same technology, CMU demonstrated applications in Oncology by engineering mesenchymal derived exosomes with an immunomodulatory apoptotic inducing protein, Fas Ligand (FAS-L).
This novel proprietary EET platform extends Coya’s pipeline beyond Neurodegenerative disorders to include autoimmune disorders and cancer while expanding Coya’s optionality for potential non-dilutive business development and strategic partnerships with companies seeking novel ways to deliver cargo/drugs in a targeted fashion.
Fred Grossman, President and CMO said "The science behind the technology is strong and has focused on overcoming the limitations of exosomes. We believe this technology can shape the future of targeted delivery of desired agents to address multiple conditions."