• Findings offer potential mechanistic and clinical insights in the development of cellular therapy Lomecel-B™ for mild Alzheimer’s disease (AD)
• Lomecel-B™ capacity to inhibit MMP14 correlates with improved clinical and biomarker outcomes in mild AD
• Immunomodulatory and pro-vascular effects of Lomecel-B™ in mild AD potentially driven by ability to exert MMP14 inhibition which may protect TIE2 receptor integrity in human AD patients

MIAMI, Oct. 29, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Longeveron Inc. (NASDAQ: LGVN), a clinical stage regenerative medicine biotechnology company developing cellular therapies for life-threatening and chronic aging-related conditions, today announced that its submission entitled “Lomecel-B inhibition of MMP14 activity predicts Lomecel-B bioactivity in the treatment of mild Alzheimer’s disease” was presented as a late breaking poster presentation at the 17th edition of the Clinical Trials on Alzheimer’s Disease Conference (CTAD24) taking place October 29 -November 1, 2024 in Madrid, Spain.

“As a medicinal signaling cell therapy that has multiple potential mechanisms of action to address inflammatory responses in the brain, Lomecel-B™ offers the potential to address the underlying pathology of Alzheimer’s disease,” said Joshua Hare, M.D., Co-founder, Chief Science Officer, and Chairman at Longeveron. “This data adds to the positive clinical information from the Phase 2a CLEAR MIND clinical trial that showed Lomecel-B™ improved cognitive function, quality of life, and brain volume in the treatment of mild Alzheimer’s disease. We are very encouraged by the safety profile and efficacy evidence that support the differentiated therapeutic potential of Lomecel-B™ in Alzheimer’s disease.”

From the Poster:

Matrix metalloprotease (MMP) activity is reportedly upregulated in AD. The researchers hypothesized that excess MMP14 activity may contribute to AD pathogenesis, at least in part, by cleaving TIE2 (Tyrosine kinase with Immunoglobulin and Epidermal growth factor homology domains), a cell-surface tyrosine kinase receptor for the angiopoietins, which activates downstream signaling pathways that regulate endothelial cell health and inflammatory responses. They tested the hypothesis that Lomecel-B™ capacity to inhibit MMP14 correlates with improved clinical and biomarker outcomes in mild AD.

The researchers measured MMP14 inhibitory (MMP14i) activity, levels of TIMP2 (tissue inhibitor of metalloprotease 2), and VEGF-A (vascular endothelial growth factor-A) in the lots of Lomecel-B used in the CLEAR MIND trial. Supernatant from Lomecel-B CLEAR MIND lots contained MMP14i activity, high levels of TIMP2 and VEGF-A protein. Patients receiving Lomecel-B lots with higher levels of MMP14i activity demonstrated enhanced responses vs. placebo on the composite Alzheimer’s disease score (CADS, the study secondary endpoint) than those who received low potency lots. Similar associations were evident with responses in the MoCA, ADCS-ADL, and left hippocampal volume. High MMP14i lots were also more effective in suppressing elevations in soluble (degraded) TIE2 in study patients, suggesting a potential role for MMP14i in AD treatment.

Poster Conclusion:

Together these findings suggest that ability to exert MMP14 inhibition may protect TIE2 receptor integrity and underlie, at least in part, the immunomodulatory and pro-vascular effects of Lomecel-B in mild AD. The findings offer potential mechanistic and clinical insights in the development of cellular-based therapy for AD.

The abstract of the poster will also be included in the special CTAD edition of the Journal of Prevention of Alzheimer’s Disease (JPAD), the official journal of the CTAD conference.

About Lomecel-B™

Lomecel-B™ is a living cell product made from specialized cells isolated from the bone marrow of young healthy adult donors. These specialized cells, known as medicinal signaling cells (MSCs), are essential to our endogenous biological repair mechanism. MSCs have been shown to perform a number of complex functions in the body, including the formation of new tissue. They also have been shown to respond to sites of injury or disease and secrete bioactive factors that are immunomodulatory and regenerative. We believe that Lomecel-B™ may have multiple potential mechanisms of action that may lead to anti-inflammatory, pro-vascular regenerative responses, and therefore may have broad application for a range of rare and aging related diseases.

About Longeveron Inc.

Longeveron is a clinical stage biotechnology company developing regenerative medicines to address unmet medical needs. The Company’s lead investigational product is Lomecel-B™, an allogeneic medicinal signaling cell (MSC) therapy product isolated from the bone marrow of young, healthy adult donors. Lomecel-B™ has multiple potential mechanisms of action encompassing pro-vascular, pro-regenerative, anti-inflammatory, and tissue repair and healing effects with broad potential applications across a spectrum of disease areas. Longeveron is currently pursuing three pipeline indications: hypoplastic left heart syndrome (HLHS), Alzheimer’s disease (AD), and Aging-related Frailty. Lomecel-B™ development programs have received five distinct and important U.S. FDA designations: for the HLHS program - Orphan Drug designation, Fast Track designation, and Rare Pediatric Disease designation; and, for the AD program - Regenerative Medicine Advanced Therapy (RMAT) designation and Fast Track designation. For more information, visit www.longeveron.com or follow Longeveron on LinkedIn, X, and Instagram.

Forward-Looking Statements

Certain statements in this press release that are not historical facts are forward-looking statements made pursuant to the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, which reflect management’s current expectations, assumptions, and estimates of future operations, performance and economic conditions, and involve risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those anticipated by the statements made herein. Forward-looking statements are generally identifiable by the use of forward-looking terminology such as “believe,” “expects,” “may,” “looks to,” “will,” “should,” “plan,” “intend,” “on condition,” “target,” “see,” “potential,” “estimates,” “preliminary,” or “anticipates” or the negative thereof or comparable terminology, or by discussion of strategy or goals or other future events, circumstances, or effects and include, but are not limited to, the anticipated use of proceeds from recent offerings. Factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied in any forward-looking statements in this release include, but are not limited to, market and other conditions, our limited operating history and lack of products approved for commercial sale; adverse global conditions, including macroeconomic uncertainty; inability to raise additional capital necessary to continue as a going concern; our history of losses and inability to achieve profitability going forward; the absence of FDA-approved allogenic, cell-based therapies for Aging-related Frailty, Alzheimer’s disease, or other aging-related conditions, or for HLHS or other cardiac-related indications; ethical and other concerns surrounding the use of stem cell therapy or human tissue; our exposure to product liability claims arising from the use of our product candidates or future products in individuals, for which we may not be able to obtain adequate product liability insurance; the adequacy of our trade secret and patent position to protect our product candidates and their uses: others could compete against us more directly, which could harm our business and have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, and results of operations; if certain license agreements are terminated, our ability to continue clinical trials and commercially market products could be adversely affected; the inability to protect the confidentiality of our proprietary information, trade secrets, and know-how; third-party claims of intellectual property infringement may prevent or delay our product development efforts; intellectual property rights do not necessarily address all potential threats to our competitive advantage; the inability to successfully develop and commercialize our product candidates and obtain the necessary regulatory approvals; we cannot market and sell our product candidates in the U.S. or in other countries if we fail to obtain the necessary regulatory approvals; final marketing approval of our product candidates by the FDA or other regulatory authorities for commercial use may be delayed, limited, or denied, any of which could adversely affect our ability to generate operating revenues; we may not be able to secure and maintain research institutions to conduct our clinical trials; ongoing healthcare legislative and regulatory reform measures may have a material adverse effect on our business and results of operations; if we receive regulatory approval of Lomecel-B™ or any of our other product candidates, we will be subject to ongoing regulatory requirements and continued regulatory review, which may result in significant additional expense; being subject to penalties if we fail to comply with regulatory requirements or experience unanticipated problems with our therapeutic candidates; reliance on third parties to conduct certain aspects of our preclinical studies and clinical trials; interim, “topline” and preliminary data from our clinical trials that we announce or publish from time to time may change as more data become available and are subject to audit and verification procedures that could result in material changes in the final data; the volatility of the price of our Class A common stock; we could lose our listing on the Nasdaq Capital Market; provisions in our certificate of incorporation and bylaws and Delaware law might discourage, delay or prevent a change in control of our company or changes in our management and, therefore, depress the market price of our Class A common stock; we have never commercialized a product candidate before and may lack the necessary expertise, personnel and resources to successfully commercialize any products on our own or together with suitable collaborators; and in order to successfully implement our plans and strategies, we will need to grow our organization, and we may experience difficulties in managing this growth. Further information relating to factors that may impact the Company’s results and forward-looking statements are disclosed in the Company’s filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including Longeveron’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2023, filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on February 27, 2024, as amended by the Annual Report on Form 10-K/A filed March 11, 2024, its Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q, and its Current Reports on Form 8-K. The forward-looking statements contained in this press release are made as of the date of this press release, and the Company disclaims any intention or obligation, other than imposed by law, to update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events, or otherwise.

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