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New stromal cell treatment trial for chronic inflammatory diseases

Written by Louise Stanley on . Posted in Clinical trials, Experimental medicine, Inflammation and chronic disease.

People with chronic inflammatory diseases are taking part in a new cell therapy clinical trial that one participant said made them feel “miles better”.

The POLARISE trial, being organised by BHP founder-member the University of Birmingham and funded by a grant from Innovate UK is testing a type of cell therapy – stromal cells – to see whether they can resolve symptoms and inflammation in patients with certain autoimmune diseases including rheumatoid arthritis and primary sclerosing cholangitis.

A Phase 2 trial, POLARISE will investigate the safety and activity of ORBCEL – a stromal cell therapy that has been developed by Orbsen Therapeutics Ltd. Stromal cells are rare cells found naturally in the human body where they stimulate resolution of injury and inflammation via a natural healing process called efferocytosis. Stromal cells are also allogeneic – which means they can be purified from one donor and given to multiple patients without causing allergic reactions – so there is no need for donor matching.

These rare stromal cells are ethically sourced and purified from human donor tissue and expanded to therapeutic doses at the University of Birmingham’s Medicines Manufacturing Facility (MMF).

The ORBCEL therapy is administered intravenously across two visits with subsequent hospital appointments to check on the progress of their condition during a two-year trial period.

Philip Newsome, Professor of Hepatology and Honorary Consultant Hepatologist at the University of Birmingham is leading the POLARISE trial, and explained: “Stromal cells are an exciting potential treatment for inflammatory diseases. These diseases are debilitating and very hard to treat as the body has switched a natural defence system for dealing with threats to one that starts attacking itself. It’s therefore critical to find ways to support the body to naturally deal with inflammation rather than turn off the defences which can lead to all sorts of infections. Early results from previous trials using Orbsen’s ORBCEL stromal cell therapy are encouraging and we’re hopeful that the treatment will be beneficial for some patients.”

Stromal cells such as Orbsen’s ORBCEL therapy can be purified from bone marrow or umbilical cord tissues donated by healthy individuals with donor consent under ethical approval by the Anthony Nolan Trust. While each single bone marrow or umbilical cord contains only few thousand stromal cells – these cells can be purified by Orbsen’s technology to undergo controlled expansion in cleanroom bio-reactors to produce a thousand allogenic doses of ORBCEL from each tissue.

Within the Innovate UK-funded Advanced Therapies Treatment Centre (ATTC) Consortium and POLARISE trial – these tissues are transported from the Anthony Nolan centres to the Advanced Therapies Facility (ATF) at the University of Birmingham – where Orbsen and ATF staff collaborated to purify and manufacture doses of Orbsen’s Stromal cell therapy – ORBCEL- using patented technologies and Terumo’s Quantum Cell Expansion Bioreactors.

Orbsen Therapeutics Chief Scientific Officer, Steve Elliman said: “We are delighted to continue our significant and productive clinical collaborations with Prof. Newsome, the University of Birmingham – and the Anthony Nolan Trust – to determine the safety and efficacy of our ORBCEL therapies in patients with chronic inflammatory diseases.

“These First in Human (FIH) trials are difficult to undertake and deliver – even more so during the COVID19 pandemic. These trials are not possible without brave patients – like Hannah Dines – who volunteer to participate in these rigorous safety trials. And so, we take this opportunity to thank the patients, nurses and clinical teams who work so hard to complete these invaluable studies.

“We look forward to completing these important safety trials and look forward to examine how ORBCEL can encourage resolution of symptoms in patients with chronic inflammatory disease.”

The Innovate UK-funded POLARISE trial represent the third major clinical trial collaboration between The University of Birmingham and Orbsen Therapeutics to assess the safety and efficacy of Orbsen’s ORBCEL therapy. Professor Phil Newsome is also leading the EU FP7 funded MERLIN clinical trial that is assessing ORBCEL as a therapy for patients with autoimmune liver diseases. The MERLIN trial is complete and is expected to report in the first half of 2024.

Orbsen is also collaborating with Prof Paul Cockwell at the University of Birmingham and Professor Giuseppe Remuzzi at the Mario Negri to assess the safety of ORBCEL as a therapy for Chronic Kidney Disease caused by Type 2 diabetes, in a Phase 1/2 clinical trial called NEPHSTROM. Professors Cockwell and Remuzzi recently published the first results from NEPHSTROM in the prestigious Journal of the American Society of Nephrology (JASN). In the NEPHSTROM trial publication in JASN, a low dose of ORBCEL was reported to be safe and promote stabilization of kidney function over 18 months in patients suffering with Progressive Chronic Kidney Disease and type 2 diabetes.

Patient story – Hannah Dines, Rio 2016 Paralympian

Self-confessed ‘type A person’, Hannah Dines is one for setting mad goals. Born with cerebral palsy, freelance writer and sportswoman Hannah trained and raced for Great Britain in para-cycling including racing at the Rio 2016 Paralympic games, and now represents GB in adaptive surfing.

However, in 2021 during the buildup to the delayed Tokyo games Hannah was diagnosed with a chronic inflammatory disease called Primary Sclerosing Cholangitis (PSC) in which the bile ducts in the liver get progressively narrower can lead to liver failure and impacts other organs like the spleen, intestines and bowel.

Hannah explains: “I was diagnosed with PSC after struggling with major fatigue and worsening of my spasticity from my cerebral palsy. I would train and feel very ill but do it anyway. I love moving my body and during the training I still felt that joy. Still, I began to fear the symptoms that would come after. I used to call it having an ‘exercise hangover’ though I rarely drank alcohol and was in my twenties. I would ensure I had at least four hours after training to collapse in bed, too tired to even watch TV, feeling too ill to sleep, known as malaise.”

“By the point of diagnosis though I was really ill and sleepy every day, I couldn’t focus but I kept pushing with my training, a part time job and then bed. Finally, a clinical doctor took my blood to put me on an alternative spasticity medication that required a liver function test. That’s when I was sent to a liver clinic and they took a liver biopsy right away and found out my sclerosis was pretty serious.

“It made all my symptoms make sense and because I was young and sporty no-one misdiagnosed me with fatty liver or alcoholism, which was nice, even if it didn’t really lessen the impact of having PSC.”

After receiving her diagnosis, qualified physiologist Hannah knew she wanted to try and take part in a clinical trial although received a series of rejections due to the advanced nature of her PSC.

Hannah continues: “I was recommended for POLARISE and I didn’t hesitate. The day after my first dose I felt incredible and not just because the clinicians administering the drugs were so nice. This effect lasted a couple of days and I truly felt released from PSC.”

“I was still competing at a sport: adaptive surfing and I booked all my contests because I knew I wouldn’t need to cancel. I laughed out loud on an aeroplane because I felt real energy for the first time in years. It was probably the steroids or a placebo effect but my liver function tests also got much better.

“My second dose was a little underwhelming compared to my first, but I still felt miles better. My “malaise” and feeling kind of “dead” had gone away.

“I used to obsess over my blood values and stopped checking them. I started setting goals more than two months in advance, which I had decided not to do after a year of having to cancel everything. We’re now six months and I still big hits of malaise but just to know that respite might be possible like at the start of my trial…that’s really special..

“All I can do is hope the findings are positive and this can become a regular treatment for people with PSC. No matter the result of POLARISE it has given me real hope for the future.”

Not letting PSC stop her, Hannah has taken up adaptive surfing and last year represented GB at the world championships, finishing fourth in her category and supporting Team GB to their most successful championships yet.

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Treatment hope for patients with rare disorder following clinical trial

Written by Louise Stanley on . Posted in Clinical trials, Experimental medicine.

Patients with a rare hereditary disorder may soon benefit from a new treatment which has undergone a promising trial at Queen Elizabeth Hospital Birmingham (QEHB) – part of BHP founder-members University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust.

The experimental drug, called mRNA-3927, has been tested on patients for the first time as part of a study into propionic acidaemia – a serious metabolic disorder which means the body is unable to process certain parts of proteins and fats properly. This can lead to a build-up of harmful substances in the body and, without appropriate treatment, can be fatal.

Patients with this condition must follow a specific diet, including a low protein intake and specific food for life. Symptoms include: vomiting, lethargy, dehydration, and acid build up in the body. Liver and kidney transplant is a surgical option that can help reduce the frequency of acute metabolic episodes.

QEHB is the only adult centre in the world running this study whose initial findings have just been published.

Prof. Tarekegn Hiwot, Consultant in Inherited Metabolic Disorders at QEHB and Honorary Professor in the Institute of Metabolism and Systems Research at fellow BHP founder the University of Birmingham, led the trial and recruited patients for the study. He said: “We conducted a study of mRNA-3927 with 16 participants to find the safety, tolerability, and optimal dose. Our interim analysis has shown significant reduction of 70% in preventing severe metabolic crisis. The treatment was safe and well tolerated.

“In summary, this study explores a promising, first of its kind treatment for propionic acidaemia using mRNA-3927, aiming to improve patients’ health and reduce dangerous metabolic events.

“This study may also serve as a proof of concept in using mRNA treatment for other life limiting single gene genetic conditions in general.”

The interim results of the study were published in Nature.

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£12m research centre will improve efficiency of rare disease trials to unlock tests and treatments

Written by Louise Stanley on . Posted in Clinical trials, Experimental medicine.

Researchers from BHP founder member the University of Birmingham are part of a new £12m research centre to improve clinical trials for rare diseases.

The LifeArc Centre for Acceleration of Rare Disease Trials brings together a consortium of three universities from across the UK. Newcastle University, Queen’s University Belfast, and University of Birmingham are pooling their expertise in a partnership coordinated by Professor David Jones, Professor of Liver Immunology at Newcastle University.

The £12m centre will focus on improving the efficiency of rare disease trials and increasing the number of opportunities for patients to take part, through a new UK ‘4 nations’ approach to deliver trials of new treatments using ‘one stop’, patient friendly models.

The team will do this by creating a rare disease trial recruitment portal and will design and deliver trials in partnership with patients. This will speed up the delivery of clinical trials for people with rare diseases and enable more rapid approval of new therapies for use in the NHS.

Professor Timothy Barrett, Director of the Centre for Rare Disease Studies at the University of Birmingham commented: “Birmingham is justly proud of its hospital services and scientific research for people living with rare conditions, which build on our partnership between hospitals and University and reflects the cosmopolitan nature of our region. 

“This award will represent a stepping stone in our ambition for patients in Birmingham to get more treatments to more people with rare diseases, faster. It also allows us to expand capacity for rare disease clinical trials for the whole of the UK.”

Kerry Leeson-Beevers is the parent of a child with the rare genetic condition, Alström Syndrome, which often causes loss of vision and hearing, and can lead to serious life-threatening problems with the heart, liver and kidneys.

Kerry, who is also CEO of Alström Syndrome UK, explained: “We have no specific treatment for Alström Syndrome and when my son, Kion, was a baby, I was told it could take around 10 years for any treatment to be developed. 20 years later, we are still waiting. People living with rare conditions don’t have the luxury of time and the mainstream way of delivering healthcare and drug development rarely works for people with rare conditions.

“As a mum and the Chief Executive of Alström Syndrome UK, having a centre that will deliver a coordinated, inclusive and supportive approach to accelerate clinical trials gives me great hope.”

The LifeArc Centre for Acceleration of Rare Disease Trials, along with the the LifeArc Centre for Rare Respiratory Diseases, LifeArc Centre for Rare Kidney Diseases, and LifeArc Centre for Rare Mitochondrial Diseases, has been awarded a share of nearly £40M over five years from the not-for-profit medical research charity, LifeArc.

Each centre will tackle an area of unmet need, to unlock science, accelerate medical progress and have the greatest impact for patients.

Dr Catriona Crombie, Head of Rare Disease at LifeArc, said: “We’re extremely proud to be launching four new LifeArc Translational Centres for Rare Diseases. Each centre has been awarded funding because it holds real promise for delivering change for people living with rare diseases. These centres also have the potential to create a blueprint for accelerating improvements across other disease areas, including common diseases.”

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Midlands-Wales Advanced Therapy Treatment Centre part of £17.9m network renewal

Written by Louise Stanley on . Posted in Clinical trials, Experimental medicine.

The Advanced Therapy Treatment Centre network includes the Midlands-Wales Advanced Therapy Treatment Centre, jointly delivered by BHP founding members the University of Birmingham and University Hospitals Birmingham.

The National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR), Innovate UK, the Advanced Therapy Treatment Centre Network and the Cell and Gene Therapy Catapult (CGT Catapult) have announced a £17.9 million strategic initiative to keep the UK as a location of choice for advanced therapy research and advanced therapy medicinal product (ATMP) clinical trials.

The initiative will provide a further four years of funding for the Advanced Therapy Treatment Centre Network (ATTC Network) which is currently composed of three centres: Innovate Manchester Advanced Therapy Centre Hub; Midlands-Wales Advanced Therapy Treatment Centre; and the Northern Alliance Advanced Therapies Treatment Centre.

The Midlands-Wales centre has multiple sites across England and Wales, with the Birmingham hub being jointly delivered by BHP founding members the University of Birmingham and University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust, directed by Professor Philip Newsome from the University’s Institute of Immunology and Immunotherapy. Its aim has been to enable UK advanced therapy companies to reach the clinical market, whilst simultaneously building clinical capacity and capability regionally to deliver these breakthrough therapies to patients. It brings together a wide range of specialists in advanced therapy manufacturing including academic and commercial partners, logistics companies, specialists in clinical trial delivery and teams focussed on IT solutions and health economics.

Professor Philip Newsome, Director of the Midlands and Wales Advanced Therapy Treatment Centre and national clinical lead, commented: “This funding will accelerate the delivery of advanced therapy trials across the Midlands, Wales and beyond. It is an exciting time for patients, researchers and industry as new therapies are trialled and enter routine clinical care.”

The UK is a world leader in ATMP clinical research with 175 ongoing trials being carried out here, and with 9% of global ATMP trials having representation in the UK. Many more products are in development and further action is needed to ensure that the NHS is able to bring advanced therapies to patients at scale across the UK.

Through this further funding, and in close collaboration with NIHR infrastructure and the devolved equivalents, the ATTC network aims to build on its work on advanced therapy clinical trial readiness to ensure the UK maintains its position as a globally attractive location for clinical research.

Health Minister Andrew Stephenson said: “This investment reaffirms the UK’s position as a global leader in clinical research. It will help roll out revolutionary medical products more quickly, potentially treating the root cause of disorders and diseases like Alzheimer’s and cancer. Harnessing technological and digital innovations is one of our primary focuses under the first ever NHS Long Term Workforce Plan, enabling new and advanced ways of working.”

Dr Stella Peace, Executive Director for the Healthy Living and Agriculture Domain at Innovate UK, said: “From our initial investment to now overseeing the delivery of the new four-year programme, our goal is to ensure the UK maintains its global leadership in clinical research. Our commitment to fostering innovation and scientific advancements is crucial for sustaining this leadership. This drives medical breakthroughs, as well as strengthening the UK economy by attracting investments, generating high-skilled jobs, and positioning us at the forefront of transformative healthcare discoveries.”

Professor Marian Knight, Scientific Director for NIHR Infrastructure, commented: “The NIHR is committed to ensuring that the UK provides a research environment to enable rapid assessment of new advanced therapies with the potential to transform health and care. Partnerships such as these, linked with existing NIHR research infrastructure, will help ensure that the UK public is able to benefit from these ground-breaking new treatments.”

Matthew Durdy, Chief Executive of the Cell and Gene Therapy Catapult, added: “Advanced therapies have the potential to transform healthcare, providing a range of new, lifechanging treatments to patients. Thanks to far-sighted investments, like this commitment by NIHR and the on-going support of Innovate UK, the UK is recognised globally as a pioneer in advanced therapies. With the continued great work of the ATTC network, we hope to further build the reputation of the UK.”

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Understanding pregnancy: Accelerating the development of new therapies for pregnancy-specific conditions

Written by Louise Stanley on . Posted in Birmingham Health Partners, Clinical trials, Maternal health.

During pregnancy, women and pregnant individuals who do not identify as women* can develop a range of pregnancy-specific conditions, such as preeclampsia and gestational diabetes, that can adversely affect both their own health and that of the developing foetus during the pregnancy. These conditions can affect the lifelong health of both mother and child. Despite the danger that these conditions present to mother and baby, there are few approved, safe and effective medicines to treat them, and limited investment in novel therapy development.

To map out key barriers and potential enablers of preclinical research and experimental medicine to support the development of new medicines for pregnancy-specific conditions, the Academy of Medical Sciences, Birmingham Health Partners, and Concept Foundation organised a multi-sectoral FORUM workshop in September 2023. People with lived experience joined representatives from academia, the commercial sector, clinical practice (including doctors and midwives), regulatory authorities, funding bodies, charities, and patient advocacy groups at the meeting.

The result of this workshop is a new report – Understanding pregnancy: Accelerating the development of new therapies for pregnancy-specific conditions – which highlights the need to raise awareness of the importance of research in pregnancy, and give women opportunities to participate.

> Understanding pregnancy: Accelerating the development of new therapies for pregnancy-specific conditions – view and download the report here

This work builds upon the BHP-led Pregnancy Policy Commission which in 2022 published its Healthy Mum, Healthy Baby, Healthy Future: The Case for UK Leadership in the Development of Safe, Effective and Accessible Medicines for Use in Pregnancy report, proposing a clear roadmap to improve the lives of millions of people, not just for women while they are pregnant, but for future generations.

Professor Peter Brocklehurst, Emeritus Professor at BHP founder member the University of Birmingham, commented: “We need to better understand the biological mechanisms of pregnancy-specific conditions so that we can develop therapies that target these processes. To do this, we need more health data and biological samples from women with those conditions.”

Forum participants identified the following six priority areas for next steps:

    1. A cross-sectoral and cross-speciality network or coalition, including women with lived experience, to provide a platform for collaboration and to coordinate efforts to promote the development of new medicines for pregnancy-specific conditions.
    2. Additional interdisciplinary research and cross-sector collaboration to address key knowledge gaps (including the biology of the placenta, of the early stages of pregnancy, and of pregnancy-specific conditions), to enable appropriate use of animal models and physiologically based pharmacokinetic (PBPK) modelling, and to leverage routinely collected health data and patient samples.
    3. The establishment of a more enabling environment for research in pregnancy, for example through development of a stronger research base and a more supportive regulatory environment.
    4. Greater engagement with women to raise awareness of the importance of research into pregnancy and of opportunities to participate in this research, including when women contact the healthcare system.
    5. Education and training of healthcare professionals, including midwives, to promote research in pregnancy.
    6. Advocacy to secure greater prioritisation of research in pregnancy (and women’s health more generally) by policymakers, funders, and higher education institutions.

The workshop was chaired by Professor Peter Brocklehurst FMedSci, Emeritus Professor of Women’s Health at the University of Birmingham, and Dr Pauline Williams CBE FMedSci, an independent pharmaceutical medicine consultant and former Senior Vice-President and Head of Global Health R&D at GlaxoSmithKline.

* The Academy acknowledges that not all pregnant people identify as women. While the terms ‘woman’ and ‘mother’ are used here, many of the learnings from the workshop about obstetric/pregnancy-specific conditions are expected to be widely applicable. It is recognised that there will be specific experiences and challenges associated with obstetric conditions among pregnant individuals who do not identify as women that were not explored at the workshop given the lack of specific research in this area. 

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Major contract awarded for a concussion research programme from the US Department of Defense

Written by Louise Stanley on . Posted in Birmingham Health Partners, Clinical trials, Early diagnosis and detection.

Birmingham experts in neurology have been awarded a seven-year contract by the U.S. Department of Defense – which could be worth up to $15.5m – to undertake a major research programme aiming to transform the way concussion is identified and managed.

Some 890 people across the UK, aged 18 to 60, will take part in the study which will measure the ability of a range of biomarkers – such as blood and saliva, mental health, vision, balance and sleep – to predict long-term complications from mild Traumatic Brain Injury (mTBI), also known as concussion. The  mTBI-Predict study will see researchers measure effectiveness of various methods to predict outcomes of mTBI after six, 12 and 24 months.

mTBI can be caused by physical impact to the head through accident, injury, sport, or even from shockwaves following explosions. Led by the Royal Centre for Defence Medicine (RCDM) and the University of Birmingham, researchers will use the UK TBI Research Network to recruit both civilian and military participants to the programme.

mTBI Predict will be supported by Birmingham Health Partners and University Hospital Birmingham, as well as a range of research institutions across the UK.

Professor Alex Sinclair, from the University of Birmingham, who will lead the study said: “Concern around the long-term effects of concussion is mounting. Even a minor injury to the head can cause concussion, which leads to brain injury with potentially serious effects on both immediate and long-term health.

“We have no precise way to tell who will have a serious consequence after a concussion. This means we can’t tell which patients will need more intensive treatment and which will recover spontaneously. The mTBI Predict research program will identify new ways to accurately predict whether concussion patients will develop long-term complications.”

Concussion has been declared a major global public health problem, with 1.4 million hospital visits due to head injury annually in England and Wales. Some 85% of these are classified as concussion and it is also estimated that up to 9.5% of UK military personnel in a combat role are diagnosed with concussion every year.

Major General Timothy Hodgetts CB CBE KHS, Surgeon General of the UK Armed Forces, commented:

“UK Defence has funded the initiation of this research, but it would not be possible to complete without the support from US DoD. This is a prime example of our longstanding bilateral research collaboration where we have a common purpose to address a significant and shared clinical problem. This study will be definitive in helping us identify those who need the most help and resources following a very common injury.”

The research programme brings together a team of experts including neuroscientists, psychologists, sport and exercise scientists, software developers and statisticians – coordinated by Birmingham Clinical Trials Unit.

The study will recruit patients with concussion related to sports injuries, road accidents, cycling accidents, falls and accidents at work, and military personnel experiencing concussion during training or active duty. It will involve military patients and expertise from the Defence Medical Rehabilitation Centre Stanford Hall and Royal Centre for Defence Medicine.

Dr. David J. Smith, from the US Department of Defense, commented: “The US Department of Defense is excited to support this study and continue to identify threats to the brain, such as blast overpressure, head impact, directed energy, and environmental hazards.

“These threats may have a direct impact on brain health. Our aim is to reduce risks to the brain, monitor exposures, and document them for long-term review. The goal is to look for multiple protection strategies to decrease exposures and protect brains better. This research will play a pivotal role in continuing our research investments partnering with the UK to better understand mTBI and concussion to prevent and reduce their effects.”

Although classed as mild brain injury, concussion leads to a disproportionate impact on future health, with three in 10 patients unable to work 12 months after their injury. The consequences of mTBI are profound, with many patients suffering long-term disability due to persistent headaches, imbalance, memory disturbance and poor mental health.

mTBI-Predict will look at biomarkers to enable faster diagnosis and assessment of a concussion, leading to improvements in treatment and long-term management, enabling a quicker return to play, work or duty.

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