SAN ANTONIO, Texas — BBG Advanced Therapies (BBG AT), a subsidiary of San Antonio based nonprofit BioBridge Global (BBG), has entered into a collaboration with VERIGRAFT to support the company’s U.S. development and manufacturing readiness activities for its personalized tissue-engineered vein therapy (P-TEV).The collaboration represents an important milestone in the Swedish company’s preparations for clinical development activities in the United States.
“At BBG Advanced Therapies, we are dedicated to helping innovators translate promising scientific advances into therapies that can reach patients,” said Adrienne Mendoza, Chief Operating Officer, BBG Advanced Therapies. “Our collaboration with VERIGRAFT is a perfect example.” Under the agreement, BBG AT will provide support for key U.S. development and manufacturing readiness activities, including donor vein sourcing, manufacturing and testing-related operations, as well as operational preparation for U.S. clinical trials.
“BBG Advanced Therapies and the extended BBG team are excited to support this critical new therapy,” said Martin Landon, Chief Executive Officer, BBG. “VERIGRAFT’s approach represents an important innovation in regenerative medicine, and we look forward to bringing our extensive capabilities to their meaningful work.”
P-TEV is VERIGRAFT’s lead advanced therapy medicinal product (ATMP) and is being developed as a personalized, fully biological tissue-engineered vein designed to replace diseased vein segments and restore venous valve function. The graft starts as donated venous tissue, which is decellularized to remove immunogenic material and then personalized using components from the patient’s own blood. The approach avoids the need for immunosuppression, with the aim of reducing the risk of rejection and infection associated with conventional approaches. The therapy is intended for patients with chronic venous insufficiency (CVI), a progressive vascular disease that can lead to pain, swelling, skin changes, and venous leg ulcers. Unlike current treatment approaches that primarily manage symptoms, P-TEV is being developed to address the underlying venous valve dysfunction that contributes to disease progression.
“For people living with severe chronic venous insufficiency, the options today treat the symptoms, not the cause. P-TEV is built to change that,” said Petter Björquist, Chief Executive Officer at VERIGRAFT. “Developing clinical trials takes a partner that understand show demanding it is to deliver a personalized therapy like P-TEV. That is why we’re working with BBG Advanced Therapies. “
The collaboration builds on VERIGRAFT’s clinical experience in Europe and strengthens the operational foundation needed to support future development activities in the United States.
About BBG Advanced Therapies: The newest subsidiary of San Antonio-based nonprofit BioBridge Global, BBG Advanced Therapies provides innovative and custom solutions to accelerate the development of cell and gene therapies. BBG Advanced Therapies featuresa fully integrated and custom portfolio of innovative solutions, including collection andprocessing of starting materials, testing, clinical trials support, and biomanufacturing services. Learn more at BBGAdvancedTherapies.org .
About VERIGRAFT: VERIGRAFT is a Swedish clinical-stage biotechnology company developing personalized, fully biological therapies for diseases where current treatmentoptions are limited. Rooted in research from Karolinska Institutet and headquartered inGothenburg, the company has built a scalable platform for industrialized tissueengineering and advanced regenerative medicine. VERIGRAFT’s lead program, P-TEV, isadvancing through late-stage clinical development in chronic venous insufficiency, whilethe company’s broader R&D pipeline explores additional applications in cardiovascularand neuronal disease. With international investor backing and a platform designed forfuture product expansion, VERIGRAFT is positioned to address significant unmet medicalneeds in global markets. Learn more at VERIGRAFT.com.
About BioBridge Global: BioBridge Global is a San Antonio-based 501(c)(3) nonprofithealthcare services enterprise that offers diverse services through its nonprofitsubsidiaries – South Texas Blood & Tissue, QualTex Laboratories, BBG Advanced Therapiesand The Blood & Tissue Center Foundation. BioBridge Global provides products andservices in blood resource management, cellular therapy, donated umbilical cord bloodand human tissue, as well as testing of blood, plasma and tissue products for clients in theUnited States and worldwide. The enterprise enables advances in the field of regenerativemedicine and advanced therapies by providing access to starting materials, testingservices as well as biomanufacturing and clinical trials support. BioBridge Global iscommitted to saving and enhancing lives through the healing power of human cells andtissue. Learn more at BioBridgeGlobal.org.