26 February 2018 - - US-based biotechnology company Frequency Therapeutics has received a grant from New York, New York-based type 1 diabetes (T1D) research funding organization JDRF, the company said.
The grant, matched by Frequency, will fund research to optimize the company's Progenitor Cell Activation Regeneration platform, which will explore a small molecule approach to convert intestinal stem cells into cells capable of insulin secretion for the treatment of T1D.
This research agreement aims to achieve one of JDRF's key therapeutic goals, exploring beta cell replacement in an effort to achieve insulin independence in people with T1D.
The grant will fund Frequency's research into its PCA Regeneration platform's ability to stimulate gastrointestinal stem cells to differentiate into insulin-producing beta cells, in an effort to discover and develop new therapies for type 1 diabetes.
The terms of the grant agreement were not disclosed.
Frequency Therapeutics develops small molecule drugs to stimulate cells in the body to reverse biological deficits and restore healthy tissue.
Through the transitory activation of these cells, the company enables disease modification without the complexity of genetic engineering. Its breakthrough therapy uses a proprietary combination of small-molecule drugs that induce dormant progenitor cells to multiply and create new cells.