Moscow State University Lomonosov, named after MV, is set to receive funding exceeding 126 million rubles to advance the development of a fertility drug. The announcement came from the university’s press service, underscoring the project’s promising potential based on compelling clinical trial results and supportive animal studies. This substantial investment signals a strategic push to translate laboratory insights into a tangible medical solution that could benefit patients facing fertility challenges.
Researchers describe a unique approach in which human mesenchymal stromal cells, aided by carefully chosen substances, can promote the repair of damaged tissues and restore their normal structure and function. The drug under development draws its effectiveness from a blend derived from substances secreted by these cells, captured and refined for therapeutic use. This secretome-based strategy aims to harness the healing signals produced by the cells without requiring the cells themselves to be transplanted into patients.
According to Anastasia Efimenko, Ph.D., head of the laboratory for tissue repair and regeneration at the Institute of Regenerative Medicine, Moscow Research and Educational Center, MSU, the drug represents a purified complex of biologically active factors. These include proteins, lipids, and regulatory RNAs that mesenchymal stromal cells release into the surrounding environment. Efimenko notes that the product is described as a well-defined collection of components that work together to support tissue repair and functional restoration.
Clinical observations indicate that the secretome can achieve outcomes comparable to those of the cells themselves while presenting a potentially safer profile. In preclinical testing, male mice treated with the secretome demonstrated restoration of fertility, with successful mating and the birth of healthy offspring, suggesting that the approach might offer advantages in safety and reproducibility over cell-based therapies.
Experts anticipate that this line of research could improve treatment options for male infertility that do not respond to existing methods. Ongoing and planned clinical trials will take place at the Moscow Research and Education Center named after MV Lomonosov, with aims to validate safety and efficacy in humans. Additionally, plans are in place to equip the research and production site at the International Research and Training Center, where initial batches of the new drug will be prepared for further clinical testing and evaluation.