ViGenCell said Thursday that a study demonstrating the world's first direct therapeutic effect on atopic dermatitis using cord blood-derived myeloid suppressor (CBMS) cells has been published in an SCI-ranked journal.
The study, "Skin Repair and Immunoregulatory Effects of Myeloid Suppressor Cells from Human Cord Blood in Atopic Dermatitis," conducted in collaboration with Professor Lee Ji-hyun of the Department of Dermatology at Catholic University of Korea Seoul St. Mary's Hospital, was published in the Frontiers in Immunology, a leading authority in the field of immunology.
The study is the first to demonstrate a direct therapeutic effect using cord blood-derived myeloid suppressor cells to treat atopic dermatitis.
Atopic dermatitis is an inflammatory skin condition that occurs when a person is exposed to an allergen. Atopy occurs when the skin barrier is destroyed due to the overactivation of immune cells against allergens or when the immune response is overactivated due to frequent exposure to external substances due to a decrease in the skin barrier.
According to ViGenCell, in an animal model of house dust mite-induced atopic dermatitis, treatment with cord blood-derived myeloid suppressor cells vs. a control group significantly reduced the clinical severity score and associated histologic changes in atopic dermatitis.
The therapeutic effect was achieved by directly inhibiting the inflammatory immune response through interaction with T cells and restoring the function of the skin barrier by promoting Filaggrin (FLG), Involucrin (IVL), Loricrin (LOR), and Cytokeratin (CK), which play a role in skin organization and protection.
At a commonly used concentration of 1x10⁶, atopic scores in an animal model of atopic disease were more than 50 percent lower in the cord blood-derived myeloid suppressor cell treatment group compared to the control group. Even at a concentration of 1x105, lower than the existing cell therapies, the cells showed a therapeutic effect on atopic dermatitis. When the animal model was re-stimulated with atopic triggers at the recovery point, the efficacy was reduced in the control group but maintained in the cord blood-derived myeloid suppressor group.
"This study is significant as it confirmed the direct therapeutic effect of injecting cord blood-derived myeloid suppressor cells into an animal model of atopic disease and identified the mechanism of skin barrier recovery for the first time in the world," said Kim Su-eon, leader of ViGenCell's ViMedier Platform Group. "We will continue to conduct research and development to provide a new treatment alternative for people with atopic dermatitis."