Humacyte Announces Publication of In Vivo Data on Biovascular Pancreas Transplantation for the Treatment of Type 1 Diabetes
- Data demonstrate biovascular pancreas may have the potential to provide an effective and safe method for pancreatic islet cell transplantation for the treatment of type 1 diabetes
- Data published in the Journal of Tissue Engineering
DURHAM, N.C., Aug. 11, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Humacyte, Inc., a clinical-stage biotechnology platform company developing universally implantable bioengineered human tissue at commercial scale, announced laboratory and preclinical data demonstrating the potential to engineer a biovascular pancreas as a method to transplant pancreatic islet cells for the long-term treatment of type 1 diabetes have been published in the Journal of Tissue Engineering. The manuscript, entitled, "Development of a Bioartificial Vascular Pancreas," reports in vivo, in vitro and in silico data supporting the potential of the biovascular pancreas technology platform to overcome current limitations of islet cell transplantation and offer an effective way to transplant pancreatic islet cells.
Type 1 diabetes, caused by auto-immune destruction of insulin-producing cells in the islets of the pancreas, affects more than 1.2 million people in the United States and less than one-third of patients achieve consistent target blood sugar levels. The global market for the treatment of type 1 diabetes is estimated to be approximately $60 billion per year. Curative treatment options for type 1 diabetes are inadequate and include pancreas transplantation, which has major risks, including morbidity and cost, and the transplantation of pancreatic islet cells which is limited by insufficient oxygen transfer, leading to islet loss. Humacyte is developing the biovascular pancreas (BVP), leveraging its human acellular vessels (HAVs) as a vascular scaffold, to be implanted in an outpatient procedure.
"Type 1 diabetes is a devastating disease that impacts the health and quality of life of patients who have to endure daily glucose monitoring and injections or face organ transplantation," said Allan Douglas Kirk, M.D., Ph.D., FACS, chairman of the department of surgery, David C. Sabiston Jr. Professor of Surgery and a professor of immunology and pediatrics at the Duke University School of Medicine, who is not affiliated with the study. "An incredible unmet need exists for curative treatment options that can overcome the limitations of current organ and islet transplantation procedures and provide life-long benefit to patients. This approach of developing a biovascular pancreas is interesting and certainly worthy of pursuit."
The published data expand upon findings presented in June 2021 at the American Transplant Congress 2021 Virtual Connect, which demonstrated that pancreatic islet cells embedded in the outer matrix of an acellular vessel can create a working BVP in preclinical models. Laboratory data showed that the BVP, when implanted as an arterial graft, provided adequate survival for islet cells, overcoming the limitation of insufficient oxygen transfer that has historically inhibited islet transplantation. In addition, results from a preclinical study in nude rats demonstrated that the BVP was able to restore animals to near-normal glycemia durably for 90 days post-transplantation. Further, a preclinical study in a pig model demonstrated that the BVP was scalable to near-human-sized recipients.
"We are excited to share this data that supports the application of a biovascular pancreas to provide an effective method for the treatment of type 1 diabetes," said Laura Niklason, M.D., Ph.D., Chief Executive Officer of Humacyte. "Islet cell transplantation can be an important long-term treatment option for people with type 1 diabetes who no longer make their own insulin. However, current methods of transplantation often lead to insufficient oxygenation of islet cells and, ultimately, to cell death. We are encouraged by these findings that demonstrate the potential of our biovascular pancreas to overcome these limitations and look forward to continuing development of this important pipeline product of our HAV platform."
The full manuscript can be accessed at https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/20417314211027714.
On February 17, 2021, Alpha Healthcare Acquisition Corp. (NASDAQ:AHAC) ("AHAC"), a special purpose acquisition company, and Humacyte announced the execution of a definitive business combination agreement along with a fully committed $175 million PIPE financing agreement.
About Humacyte
Humacyte, Inc., is developing a disruptive biotechnology platform to deliver universally implantable bioengineered human tissues and organs designed to improve the lives of patients and transform the practice of medicine. The Company develops and manufactures acellular tissues to treat a wide range of diseases, injuries and chronic conditions. Humacyte's initial opportunity, a portfolio of human acellular vessels (HAVs), is currently in late-stage clinical trials targeting multiple vascular applications, including vascular trauma repair, arteriovenous access for hemodialysis, and peripheral arterial disease. Pre-clinical development is also underway in coronary artery bypass grafts, pediatric heart surgery, treatment of type 1 diabetes, and multiple novel cell and tissue applications. Humacyte's HAVs were the first product to receive the FDA's Regenerative Medicine Advanced Therapy (RMAT) expedited review designation and received priority designation for the treatment of vascular trauma by the U.S. Secretary of Defense. For more information, visit www.Humacyte.com.
About Alpha Healthcare Acquisition Corp.
Alpha Healthcare Acquisition Corp. (NASDAQ:AHAC) is a special purpose acquisition company formed for the purpose of effecting a business combination with one or more businesses in the healthcare sector ("AHAC"). The company was founded by Mr. Rajiv Shukla who has two decades of buyouts, investments and operations experience in the healthcare industry. Mr. Shukla previously served as Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Constellation Alpha Capital Corp., a Nasdaq-listed special purpose acquisition company, that merged with DermTech, Inc (NASDAQ:DMTK) in August 2019. On February 17, 2021, AHAC announced a definitive agreement to merge with Humacyte, Inc. along with a concurrent fully committed PIPE placement of $175 million of AHAC common shares at a price of $10.00 per share.
Important Information About the Merger and Where to Find It
A full description of the terms of the business combination is provided in a registration statement on Form S-4 filed with the SEC by AHAC that includes a prospectus with respect to the Combined Company's securities to be issued in connection with the business combination and a proxy statement with respect to the shareholder meeting of AHAC to vote on the business combination. AHAC urges its investors, shareholders, and other interested persons to read the proxy statement/ prospectus as well as other documents filed with the SEC because these documents contain important information about AHAC, Humacyte and the business combination. The definitive proxy statement/prospectus included in the registration statement was mailed to shareholders of AHAC as of a record date to be established for voting on the proposed business combination. Shareholders will also be able to obtain a copy of the Form S-4, including the proxy statement/prospectus, and other documents filed with the SEC without charge, by directing a request to: Alpha Healthcare Acquisition Corp., Attn: Secretary, 1177 Avenue of the Americas, 5th Floor, New York, New York 10036. The preliminary and definitive proxy statement/prospectus to be included in the registration statement, can also be obtained, without charge, at the SEC's website (www.sec.gov).
Participants in the Solicitation
AHAC and Humacyte and their respective directors and executive officers may be considered participants in the solicitation of proxies with respect to the proposed business combination described in this press release under the rules of the SEC. Information about the directors and executive officers of AHAC is set forth in AHAC's final prospectus filed with the SEC pursuant to Rule 424(b) of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the "Securities Act") on September 17, 2020, and is available free of charge at the SEC's website at www.sec.gov or by directing a request to: Alpha Healthcare Acquisition Corp., Attn: Secretary, 1177 Avenue of the Americas, 5th Floor, New York, New York 10036. Information regarding the persons who may, under the rules of the SEC, be deemed participants in the solicitation of the AHAC shareholders in connection with the proposed business combination is set forth in the registration statement containing the proxy statement/prospectus for the proposed business combination. These documents can be obtained free of charge from the sources indicated above.
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