Significance of Immunis’ Work

Every individual experiences a decline in immune system health as they age, which contributes to degenerative conditions throughout the body, including muscle atrophy. Age-related muscle atrophy (sarcopenia) and muscle wasting from disuse or disease significantly decreases quality of life. Mitigating the loss of muscle and improving muscle recovery remain unmet medical needs. Our goal is to utilize the secretome as a means of driving specific immune responses to overcome manifestations of age-related disease.

Clinical Trials

Target: Muscle atrophy; sarcopenia
Treatment: IMMUNA
ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT05211986

Research is being undertaken to determine whether IMMUNA can be beneficial in diseases characterized by muscle atrophy. IMMUNA is a secretome product derived from partially differentiated pluripotent cells concentrated with regenerative molecules. The FDA-approved Phase 1/2a clinical trial with IMMUNA is a single-center, open-label, dose-escalation study to assess safety and tolerability. IMMUNA is administered via intramuscular (im) injection twice per week for 4 weeks to participants with muscle atrophy related to knee osteoarthritis. A preliminary evaluation of the efficacy of IMMUNA in other indications such as Alzheimer’s Disease and multisystem senescence is also being performed.

The Phase 1/2a clinical trial is being conducted at the University of California Irvine Medical Center, UCI Health. UCI Health is part of the California Institute of Regenerative Medicine's Alpha Clinic Network. We invite you to learn more about these clinical trial opportunities.

Pre-Clinical Secretome Collaborations

 
 

Dr. Craig Walsh, UC Irvine, Department of Molecular Biology & Biochemistry

  • Immune dysfunction; multisystem senescence: counteracting age-related immune deficiencies by enhancing effector and memory lymphocytes in response to infection/vaccination

Dr. Kim Green, UC Irvine, Department of Neurobiology & Behavior

  • Neurogenesis and cognitive decline; neuroinflammation: counteracting age-related neurodegeneration and enhancing hippocampus-dependent cognitive function in aged mouse models

Dr. Athena Soulikas and Dr. Rivkah Isseroff, UC Davis, Dept. Dermatology

  • Wound healing: ameliorating diabetic ulcers and burn injuries along with sarcopenia resulting from burn injury

Dr. Micah Drummond, University of Utah, Depts. Physical Therapy & Athletic Training; Pathology; Internal Medicine

  • Fertility: reversing age-related decline in fertility
  • Metabolism: assessing how the secretome alters metabolism
  • Liver and fat pathology; insulin sensitivity: effects of the secretome on fat tissue pathology in mouse models of diet-induced obesity and nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD)

Pre-Clinical Efficacy of IMMUNA

In non-clinical mouse studies in aged mice and in a model of muscle atrophy, treatment with Immunis' investigational secretome product (IMMUNA) was shown to increase muscle mass, increase muscle strength and diminish skeletal muscle fibrosis. These results demonstrate the efficacy of IMMUNA in attenuating loss of muscle mass and muscle fiber area during disuse atrophy in aged mice. We invite you to learn more about these results published in GeroScience.

IMMUNA Formulation

Immunis' investigational IMMUNA secretome is a non-cell-based secretome product derived from partially differentiated human cells and is composed of a multitude of pro-regenerative factors involved in immunomodulation, cytoskeleton remodeling, and growth factor-mediated cellular signaling. It is a sterile and nonpyrogenic aqueous solution manufactured under cGMP conditions. IMMUNA does not contain live cells or any cell fragments. It is all natural, all human, and contains a multitude of factors known to benefit immune system development and health.

Alpha Clinic at the UCI Medical Center

UCI Health is part of the California Institute of Regenerative Medicine’s (CIRM) Alpha Clinic Network, which is supporting Immunis’ Phase 1/2a clinical study. The investigations to assess the efficacy of Immunis’ investigational IMMUNA secretome product in the context of muscle atrophy is headed by Dean Wang, MD, alongside Brian Young Kim, MD, MS, Steven Yang, MD, MBA and Christopher Kroner, MD, MPH. The Alpha Clinics Network funded through CIRM has one unifying goal: to accelerate the development and delivery of cell therapies to patients.

Principal Investigator

Dr. Wang is an Associate Professor of Orthopaedic Surgery at UC Irvine School of Medicine. He is a board-certified orthopaedic surgeon who specializes in sports-related injuries of the knee, shoulder, hip, and elbow. His clinical expertise includes advanced, minimally invasive arthroscopic procedures and reconstructive joint surgery. He has specialized training in the field of biologic joint preservation procedures, including modern cartilage restoration techniques and arthroscopic hip preservation surgery. He is currently Chief of the Sports Medicine Division at UCI and a physician for UCI Athletics.

Sub-Investigator

Dr. Kim is an Associate Clinical Professor of Family Medicine at UC Irvine School of Medicine. He is a board-certified UCI Health specialist in family and sports medicine, providing multidisciplinary care for runners, youth, and female athletes. He serves as the Head Team Physician for the UCI athletics program and the Director of the Primary Care Sports Medicine fellowship.

Sub-Investigator

Dr. Yang is an Assistant Clinical Professor of Orthopaedic Surgery at UC Irvine School of Medicine. He is a fellowship-trained orthopaedic surgeon specializing in adult reconstructive surgery with a focus on primary and revision hip and knee arthroplasty. He has specialized training in modern arthroplasty techniques, including anterior-approach hip replacement, computer-assisted joint replacement, patient-specific knee replacement, and partial knee replacements.

Sub-Investigator

Dr. Kroner is an Associate Clinical Professor of Family Medicine at UC Irvine School of Medicine. He is board-certified in both sports medicine and family medicine. He practices both comprehensive primary care for patients of all ages and sports medicine specialty care. He is a team physician for the Anaheim Ducks and UCI Athletics and has several years of experience working with USA Water Polo, runDisney, and various community colleges and high schools.