First regenerative medicine technology used in battlefield trauma
Ukrainian surgeons trained on HAV procedures over video conferencing
DURHAM, N.C., May 09, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Humacyte, Inc. (Nasdaq: HUMA), a clinical-stage biotechnology platform company developing universally implantable bioengineered human tissue at commercial scale, today announced the publication in The Lancet Regional Health - Europe detailing the encouraging experience of Humacyte’s investigational Human Acellular Vessel (HAV) in treating battlefield and other vascular trauma injuries suffered in Ukraine-Russia conflict.
The letter, titled ‘Use of Bioengineered Human Acellular Vessels to Treat Traumatic Injuries in the Ukraine-Russia Conflict’ reports how Ukrainian surgeons have been using Humacyte’s investigational HAV to save life and limb, and provides data on the clinical outcomes of patients treated with the conduit.
Humacyte’s initial shipment of HAVs arrived in Ukraine in May 2022, in response to requests from surgeons on the frontlines in that country. Humacyte worked closely with the International Office of the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the Ukrainian Ministry of Health to obtain approval for a humanitarian program, under which Humacyte provided the HAV to hospitals in Ukraine. Additionally, Ukrainian surgeons were virtually trained by video conference to learn the procedures for HAV implantation into patients. Today, the HAV has been used in four hospitals throughout Ukraine.
Since June 2022, 18 patients (13 at time of publication submission) in Ukraine have been treated with the HAV to repair vascular trauma and thereby prevent amputation. Three patients received the HAV to treat arterial wounds after failure of their initial vascular repairs using vein or synthetic grafts. Most patients had sustained major vascular injuries to their limbs from blasts and shrapnel on the battlefield. As of April 2023, all HAVs remained patent with no incidents of infection of the conduits, or amputation of the affected limbs. Follow-up procedures post-surgery found no occurrence of mechanical failure in any of the HAVs implanted.
“The HAV’s real-world trauma experience in the conflict in Ukraine demonstrates its potential to revolutionize regenerative medicine, and to save life and limb worldwide,” said Laura Niklason, CEO at Humacyte. “Humacyte puts patients first and we’re proud to be able to help save lives and prevent additional suffering on the frontlines of battle in Ukraine. We are thrilled to see the potential of the HAV recognized in The Lancet Regional Health - Europe, a journal respected for pioneering medical research globally.”
Humacyte’s HAV is designed to be a universally implantable vascular conduit for use in vascular repair. Importantly, the HAV has shown a low rate of infection in clinical trials, making it well-suited for use in settings such as vascular trauma where wounds may be contaminated with foreign material. The HAV is designed to be available off-the-shelf and ready whenever surgeons need it, potentially saving valuable time and potentially improving patient outcomes in cases requiring urgent vascular repair, for both civilians and military personnel.
The publication of this letter comes as Humacyte nears the completion of enrollment in its Phase 2/3 V005 clinical trial of the HAV in the repair of civilian vascular trauma, a study that is being conducted at Level 1 Trauma Centers in the U.S. and Israel. The HAV has accumulated over 1,000 patient-years of experience worldwide in a series of clinical trials in multiple indications, including vascular trauma, arteriovenous access for hemodialysis, and peripheral artery disease. Humacyte plans to file a BLA with the FDA later in 2023.
The HAV is an investigational product and has not been approved for sale by the FDA or any other regulatory agency.
About Humacyte
Humacyte, Inc. (Nasdaq: HUMA) is developing a disruptive biotechnology platform to deliver universally implantable bioengineered human tissues, advanced tissue constructs, and organ systems designed to improve the lives of patients and transform the practice of medicine. The company develops and manufactures acellular tissues to treat a wide range of diseases, injuries, and chronic conditions. Humacyte’s initial opportunity, a portfolio of HAVs, is currently in late-stage clinical trials targeting multiple vascular applications, including vascular trauma repair, AV access for hemodialysis, and peripheral arterial disease. Preclinical development is also underway in coronary artery bypass grafts, pediatric heart surgery, treatment of type 1 diabetes, and multiple novel cell and tissue applications. Humacyte’s 6mm HAV for AV access in hemodialysis was the first product candidate to receive the FDA’s Regenerative Medicine Advanced Therapy (RMAT) designation and has also received FDA Fast Track designation. Humacyte’s 6mm HAV for urgent arterial repair following extremity vascular trauma also has received RMAT designation. The HAV received priority designation for the treatment of vascular trauma by the U.S. Secretary of Defense. For more information, visit www.Humacyte.com.
Forward-Looking Statements
This press release contains forward-looking statements that are based on beliefs and assumptions and on information currently available. In some cases, you can identify forward-looking statements by the following words: “may,” “will,” “could,” “would,” “should,” “expect,” “intend,” “plan,” “anticipate,” “believe,” “estimate,” “predict,” “project,” “potential,” “continue,” “ongoing” or the negative of these terms or other comparable terminology, although not all forward-looking statements contain these words. These statements involve risks, uncertainties, and other factors that may cause actual results, levels of activity, performance, or achievements to be materially different from the information expressed or implied by these forward-looking statements. Although we believe that we have a reasonable basis for each forward-looking statement contained in this press release, we caution you that these statements are based on a combination of facts and factors currently known by us and our projections of the future, about which we cannot be certain. Forward-looking statements in this press release include, but are not limited to, statements regarding the initiation, timing, progress, and results of our preclinical and clinical trials; the anticipated characteristics and performance of our HAVs; our ability to successfully complete, preclinical and clinical trials for our HAVs; the anticipated benefits of our HAVs relative to existing alternatives; the anticipated commercialization of our HAVs and our ability to manufacture at commercial scale; the implementation of our business model and strategic plans for our business; the timing or likelihood of regulatory filings and approvals; timing, scope, and rate of reimbursement for our HAVs; the outcome of our ongoing discussions with the FDA concerning the design of our ongoing V005 Phase 2/3 clinical trial, including determination of trial size, and the scope of any approved indication for our HAVs; and our estimated available market opportunity. We cannot assure you that the forward-looking statements in this press release will prove to be accurate. These forward-looking statements are subject to a number of significant risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from expected results, including, among others, changes in applicable laws or regulations, the possibility that Humacyte may be adversely affected by other economic, business, and/or competitive factors, and other risks and uncertainties, including those included under the header “Risk Factors” in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2022, filed by Humacyte with the SEC and in future SEC filings. Most of these factors are outside of Humacyte’s control and are difficult to predict. Furthermore, if the forward-looking statements prove to be inaccurate, the inaccuracy may be material. In light of the significant uncertainties in these forward-looking statements, you should not regard these statements as a representation or warranty by us or any other person that we will achieve our objectives and plans in any specified time frame, or at all. The forward-looking statements in this press release represent our views as of the date of this press release. We anticipate that subsequent events and developments will cause our views to change. However, while we may elect to update these forward-looking statements at some point in the future, we have no current intention of doing so except to the extent required by applicable law. You should, therefore, not rely on these forward-looking statements as representing our views as of any date subsequent to the date of this press release.
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Source: Humacyte, Inc.
