Science
A stuck alarm, not just inflammation
Inflammation is usually treated as the problem. We see it as a symptom of something further upstream: an immune response that started for good reason and never switched off.
The Loop
How chronic disease feeds itself
- Injury. Tissue is damaged: worn cartilage, a blow to the head, a misfolded protein.
- Damage signals. Injured cells release distress signals that the immune system detects.
- A response that stays on. Immune cells sound the alarm. Normally peacekeeper cells (regulatory T cells) then stand the response down. In chronic disease they fall short, and the alarm stays on.
- Inflammation causes more injury. The constant alarm damages healthy tissue, which releases more distress signals, and the loop feeds itself.
Inflammatory cytokines and danger signals that keep the alarm on
Where XytriX acts
The Intelligence of Cellular Signaling
In published research, umbilical cord-derived mesenchymal signaling cells act mainly through paracrine signaling rather than by becoming new tissue. They release a combination of factors that:
Trillions of signals, one conversation.
Calm the alarm
Shift immune cells from attack to repair.
Restore peacekeepers
Help rebuild the regulatory T cells that stand the response down.
Send repair signals
Growth factors that protect and nourish tissue.
Deliver message packets
Exosomes that carry instructions to neighboring cells.
Upstream reset, not downstream suppression.
The mechanisms described are proposed, based on published research, and are being studied in our clinical programs.
Platform
XytriX™: one biotherapeutic, studied across joint and brain
XytriX is an allogeneic biotherapeutic, meaning the cells come from a screened donor rather than from the patient. It is made from mesenchymal signaling cells (hUC-MSC) derived from donated umbilical cord tissue, selected for their powerful paracrine signaling.
- Consistent: every patient receives cells manufactured to the same specification.
- No harvest for the patient: no tissue is taken from the patient to make it.
- Potency-tested: every lot is tested for signaling potency before release.
Delivery
How it reaches the target
XytriX is being studied by different routes depending on the target. Intranasal delivery is being studied as a way to reach the brain through the olfactory pathway, beneath the cribriform plate, bypassing the blood-brain barrier.
| Program | Route | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Knee osteoarthritis | Injection into the joint | Places the cells where the joint lining is inflamed. |
| CTE | Intravenous + intrathecal | Body-wide reach plus delivery into the fluid around the spinal cord. |
| ALS | Intravenous + intranasal | Body-wide reach plus a route toward the brain that bypasses the blood-brain barrier. |
| Alzheimer's disease | Intravenous + intranasal | Body-wide reach plus a route toward the brain that bypasses the blood-brain barrier. |
Publications
Our evidence, as it is published
Peer-reviewed publications and conference presentations from our programs will be listed here as they are released.