Co-founded by Vannary Tieng (CEO) and Alessandra de Picciotto (Chairman) in 2018, Vanarix is a Swiss clinical stage startup specializing in regenerative medicine, focusing on articular cartilage regeneration. The company raised this year CHF 4 million in its journey to improve patients’ lives.
Addressing Unmet Needs in Cartilage Regeneration
Cartilage damage, especially lesions over 2 cm² in the knee, causes significant pain and disability, affecting those who have experienced repetitive trauma, the elderly, and individuals who are overweight. Without effective treatment, these lesions can progress to osteoarthritis, impacting 300 million people worldwide and the only treatment for advanced degeneration is joint replacement (knee or other).
Vanarix has developed two revolutionary products: autologous and allogeneic Cartibeads, both currently in clinical trials. Cartibeads are bioengineered cartilage mini-implants capable of self-integrating into lesions and repairing them. These implants resemble native cartilage and enable patients who receive them to return to intensive sporting activity without pain.
Allogeneic Cartibeads offer several advantages over autologous Cartibeads, including a single surgical procedure, ready-to-use availability, and lower production costs. Our patented technology for mass cell amplification ensures donor cells can treat thousands of patients
Milestones and Clinical Trial Successes
Despite being a small team of three, Vanarix has achieved significant milestones since its inception five years ago:
- Autologous Cartibeads Clinical Study: In its first Phase I/IIa clinical study, ten patients with lesions up to 11.5 cm² received autologous Cartibeads. Preliminary results after six months' follow-up showed significant pain reduction in five patients, with MRI analysis revealing good lesion filling and graft integration. T2 mapping assessed the cartilage quality as closely resembling native tissue. Remarkably, one patient resumed intense sporting activities, including triathlons, just six months post-transplant.
- Allogeneic Cartibeads in animal studies: Its second-generation allogeneic Cartibeads were successfully used in preclinical studies on minipigs and clinical studies on three young horses with osteochondritis dissecans. Data indicated excellent graft integration with no inflammation or rejection. Notably, one horse returned to competitive show jumping six months post-transplant.
Upcoming Clinical Trials and Future Plans
A new Phase I/IIa clinical trial will begin on July 17, 2024, with the transplantation of the first two patients with allogeneic Cartibeads at Lugano Hospital under the supervision of Dr. Marco Delcogliano. Three additional sites in Switzerland, including HUG in Geneva (Dr. Philippe Tscholl), Clinic Hirslanden/La Colline (Pr. Jacques Ménétrey), and Balgrist/Zurich (Pr. Sandro Fucentese), will participate in patient recruitment.
(Press release – ES)