The first mass-market cell therapy?

Beyond Biotech - the podcast from Labiotech

Aurion Biotech is a US biotech with a regenerative medicine platform, developing novel therapies to restore vision to millions of people in need.

This week on the podcast, we have a conversation with CEO Greg Kunst about Aurion’s pipeline, and how the company’s treatment could be the first mass-market cell therapy available.

The FDA has granted the company BTD and RMAT designations for AURN001 -- the first-ever allogeneic cell therapy candidate in development to restore vision in patients with corneal endothelial disease. This is a condition with around 16 million patients in the US, Japan and Europe alone. The current standard of care is currently transplant surgery.

Aurion's proprietary process can turn cells from one donor cornea into more than treatments, with the potential to scale to more than 1,000, closing the gap on the global shortage of donor corneas.

Aurion recently completed enrollment of a phase 1/2 trial in the US and Canada.

00:43-01:53: About Aurion
01:53-03:12: What are allogeneic cell therapies?
03:12-04:11: Why is the eye a good target for allogeneic cell therapy?
04:11-06:16: What is corneal endothelial disease?
06:16-07:18: Is corneal endothelial disease genetic or just age related?
07:18-09:22: Is transplant surgery the only option?
09:22-10:58: Are other companies working on corneal endothelial disease treatments?
10:58-12:26: How does your treatment work?
12:26-13:36: Does your treatment alleviate the shortage of corneas?
13:36-15:47: How would you get your treatments around the world?
15:47-17:02: Could these treatments extend to other diseases?
17:02-18:36: What do you need for a mass market treatment?
18:36-19:36: Will there always be a need for this treatment?
19:36-21:12: Is your treatment easy to administer?
21:12-22:41: What do the FDA designations mean for Aurion?
22:41-24:38: Where are you with clinical trials?

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Chapters

1. The first mass-market cell therapy? (00:00:00)

2. About Aurion (00:00:43)

3. What are allogeneic cell therapies?
 (00:01:53)

4. Why is the eye a good target for allogeneic cell therapy?
 (00:03:12)

5. What is corneal endothelial disease?
 (00:04:11)

6. Is corneal endothelial disease genetic or just age related?
 (00:06:16)

7. Is transplant surgery the only option?
 (00:07:18)

8. Are other companies working on corneal endothelial disease treatments?
 (00:09:22)

9. How does your treatment work?
 (00:10:58)

10. Does your treatment alleviate the shortage of corneas?
 (00:12:26)

11. How would you get your treatments around the world?
 (00:13:36)

12. Could these treatments extend to other diseases?
 (00:15:47)

13. What do you need for a mass market treatment?
 (00:17:02)

14. Will there always be a need for this treatment?
 (00:18:36)

15. Is your treatment easy to administer?
 (00:19:36)

16. What do the FDA designations mean for Aurion?
 (00:21:12)

17. Where are you with clinical trials? (00:22:41)