ExAdEx-Innov

Obesity is a global pandemic with a high prevalence responsible for about 3 million annual deaths, and with associated high-impact morbidities, such as type 2 diabetes and non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH). Despite new drugs in clinical phases and the increase in the use of bariatric surgery, about 20% of patients treated with drugs are resistant to treatments and in total therapeutic failure. Today, no drugs against NASH are available. Development of alternative therapies against obesity is urgent.

More than a decade of scientific research conducted on animal models, shows that transplantation of beige adipose tissue (BAT) in obese mice allows a multiple therapy action, that acts at the level of weight gain, type 2 diabetes and fatty liver. Therefore, BAT transplantation is a very promising therapeutic avenue that nevertheless clashes with (1) the absence of an abundant and clinically relevant source of BAT in humans, and (2) the technological lock of maintaining human adipose tissue in culture, that is required for the conversion of white adipose tissue into beige adipose tissue.

Our scientific questions are designed:
1/ To propose innovative 3D in vitro models of human adipose tissue to investigate cellular and molecular mechanisms involved in physiology and pathology of adipose tissue
2/ To develop ExAdEx proprietary technology for clinical applications of BAT transplantation

Fig 1 - Beiging potential. The ExAdEx products were maintained in vitro for 30 days and then were induced to undergo beiging. After two weeks, UCP1 was revealed by immunofluorescence. Top image: Native human white adipose tissue. Bottom image: ExAdEx-BAT, human beige cell therapy product. Blue; Nuclei, Red (Adipocytes), Green (Beige adipocytes expressing UCP1).

ExAdEx-Innov is leading preclinical studies of a patented technology originated from academic research centers based at the University Côte d’Azur (the "Stem Cells and Differentiation" team at the iBV, in collaboration with the Nice CHU and the Cell and Gene Therapy Unit).

ExAdEx technology is an innovative process for culturing human adipose tissues in 3D that opens the way for the first tissue-based therapeutic solution for metabolic diseases associated with obesity. This technology is protected by 2 international patents (UCA and CHU are co-inventors) and a unique know-how resulting from more than 30 years of experience in the field of obesity and stem cells.

With the support of the Young Entrepreneur Program of the Labex Signalife, the academic team has also developed the first RD platform of human adipose tissue, allowing the realization of pre-clinical tests on physiological and pathological models. The models from this platform are currently marketed by ExAdEx-Innov in the cosmetics sector and are the subject of a commercial collaboration with the CRO DIVA-Expertise (Toulouse), leader on the national market.

ExAdEx-Innov is currently preparing a fundraising event with private investors to accelerate its pre-clinical development, with the support of the PACA-Est incubator and the Métropôle Nice Côte d’Azur-Eurobiomed HealthTech accelerator.

Fig 2 - ExAdEx process for clinical purpose. Following liposuccion, adipose tissue is process in 4 weeks to induce first adipose progenitors amplification in 3D culture in defined cell culture medium, then process for beiging induction to obtain the ExAdEx-BAT injectable cell therapy product