Dublin, Ireland, 9th April 2025 – HAON Life Sciences, a leading cell therapy biotech today announced the CanVas consortium has received a €10.7m ($13m) non-dilutive grant from the Disruptive Technology Innovation Fund (DTIF). The grant will help develop one of the first ever therapeutics for early brain injury by advancing CanVas-001 to clinic.
CanVas-001 is an allogeneic investigational product containing HAON’s proprietary Endothelial Colony Forming Cells (ECFCs) and Mesenchymal Stromal Cells (MSCs). CanVas-001 has demonstrated significant therapeutic benefit in large animal preclinical models of early brain injury. The CanVas platform is also developing drug candidates for adult neurodegenerative diseases.
The lead indication is Hypoxic Ischemic Encephalopathy (HIE), a devastating rare disease occurring when a baby’s brain does not receive enough oxygen or blood flow just before or shortly after birth. It is a principal cause of infant mortality and long-term neurologic disability, including accounting for a fifth of all cerebral palsy cases.
The CanVas consortium is a multidisciplinary team of experts, made up of the National Institute for Bioprocessing Research and Training (NIBRT) who will carry out analytical development, Hi-Tech Health who will manufacture CanVas-001 for clinic and University College Cork Infant Research Centre, who will provide clinical development expertise in early brain injury and in particular, neonatal HIE. The consortium is led by HAON Life Sciences.
HAON is a biotech creating a new class of cell therapy based on Endothelial Colony Forming Cells (ECFCs). ECFCs are a regenerative powerhouse with qualities such as vascular protection, regeneration, neuroprotection and repair. The benefit of ECFCs have also been shown to increase when administered with Mesenchymal Stromal Cells (MSCs). HAON is spearheading the development of these allogeneic candidates for neurologic, rare (including rare blood) and other serious diseases via the novel CanVas cell platform.
The Disruptive Technologies Innovation Fund (DTIF) is a €500 million challenge-based fund established under Project Ireland 2040. The objective of DTIF is invest in the development and deployment of disruptive technologies and applications on a commercial basis, driving collaboration between Ireland's research base and industry to foster economic growth and innovation.
It is managed by the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment and administered by Enterprise Ireland.
Hypoxic Ischemic Encephalopathy (HIE), a devastating rare disease occurring when a baby’s brain does not receive enough oxygen or blood flow just before or shortly after birth. It is a leading cause of infant mortality and long-term neurologic disability including accounting for a fifth of all cerebral palsy cases.
It is estimated one to three in every 1,000 births in Europe and the United States will be impacted by HIE resulting in 30,000 babies affected in these regions, each year. The incidence is far higher in low incomes countries with an estimate 1 million babies affected annually.
Contact