FibroBiologics Studying Fibroblast Treatment for Hantavirus
The company is expanding its preclinical work on acute respiratory syndrome to investigate whether its fibroblasts may help with deadly lung inflammation, vascular leakage, and tissue damage.
Key Points
- FibroBiologics is expanding its fibroblast platform into Hantavirus pulmonary syndrome, a severe respiratory illness with no approved disease-modifying treatment.
- The company is building on preclinical ARDS findings that it says showed fibroblasts can reduce inflammation, support endothelial barrier function, and promote tissue repair.
- FibroBiologics is evaluating the approach in Hantavirus disease models and plans to begin exploratory discussions with regulators about a path toward clinical development.
FibroBiologics, a spin-out from SpinalCyte, is developing fibroblasts for a variety of indications, including orthopedics, wounds, and neurodegenerative conditions. They say that fibroblasts offer several advantages over stem cell therapies, namely, easier sourcing, better isolation, and more cost-effective culturing. They did a great presentation at the Cell & Gene Meeting on the Mesa seen here:
The company announced it’s now advancing development of a fibroblast treatment for Hantavirus pulmonary syndrome (HPS), targeting the severe lung inflammation, vascular leakage, and tissue damage that drive the most serious HPS cases.
HPS is a rare but serious respiratory disease linked to contact with infected rodents. It can progress quickly to pulmonary edema, multi-organ failure, and death. The company notes that mortality remains above 35% to 40% even in clinical settings, and that patients currently rely on supportive care because there are no approved antiviral or disease-modifying therapies.
Why Fibroblasts Are Being Studied
FibroBiologics is basing the HPS effort on earlier preclinical work in ARDS, where fibroblasts were reported to reduce excessive inflammatory signaling, restore endothelial barrier integrity, and support tissue repair. Those mechanisms are relevant because severe Hantavirus disease is marked by inflammatory dysregulation, endothelial dysfunction, and progressive lung injury.
The company says surviving patients can also face longer-term complications, including pulmonary fibrosis, reduced lung capacity, and persistent respiratory impairment. Its rationale is that fibroblasts may help address both the acute inflammatory phase and the resulting tissue damage.
It’s currently evaluating the therapy in Hantavirus disease models, focusing on cytokine modulation and reducing endothelial permeability, hoping to potentially carve a path toward clinical evaluation in the near future.
This reminds me of during COVID, if I recall correctly, a handful of Wharton’s Jelly laboratories received INDs to see if it could help with acute/long versions of the disease. Good to see quick innovation.
Pete O’Heeron, Founder and Chief Executive Officer of FibroBiologics said, “HPS represents one of the most severe and under-addressed viral respiratory threats facing global health today. We believe our fibroblast platform has the ability to control cytokine storms and restore lung architecture in ARDS patients. The disease mechanisms in HPS are strikingly similar to those in ARDS, and we believe fibroblast-based therapeutics could offer genuine hope where currently there is none. We are advancing the development of a fibroblast treatment for HPS, recognizing that every advancement in our understanding of fibroblast immunomodulation and regenerative capacity brings us closer to therapies that could change outcomes for patients worldwide.”
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