Partner inquiry

Science

Why we focus on mitochondria.

The challenge

Cell therapy has come far.
Four challenges remain.

  • 01

    Culture-dependent

    Weeks of culture and GMP facilities are needed before treatment.

  • 02

    Patient-to-patient variability

    In older or chronically ill patients, cells are often weaker.

  • 03

    Indirect action

    Much of the effect comes from factors the cells release, not from the cells themselves.

  • 04

    Long-term follow-up

    Living cells call for long-term safety monitoring.

A new direction

Therapy is shifting from cells
to what cells carry.

  1. First generation

    Autologous cells

    • Cultured stem cells
    • Cultured immune cells

    The living cell is the therapy

  2. TovCell Bio today

    The shift

    Cell-derived materials

    • Extracellular vesicles
    • Growth factors (e.g. PRP)
    • Mitochondria MitoTov™ — clinic platform

    Delivering what cells carry

TovCell Bio is developing the MitoTov™ clinic platform with partner clinics, and mitochondria-enhanced cell therapies next.

The science behind it

Why mitochondria.

  • The cell’s energy center

    Mitochondria make most of the energy (ATP) a cell uses. This function declines in aging, chronic inflammation and tissue injury.

  • They move between cells

    Cells naturally pass mitochondria to one another, through tunneling nanotubes and extracellular vesicles.

  • Found in blood plasma

    Plasma carries intact, cell-free mitochondria that keep their respiratory capacity — the basis for using the patient’s own blood.

    Al Amir Dache Z, et al. FASEB J 2020;34:3616

  • A clinical precedent

    Autologous mitochondrial transplantation has been reported in pediatric patients with myocardial ischemia–reperfusion injury.

    Emani SM, et al. J Thorac Cardiovasc Surg 2017;154:286

Summarised from published research on mitochondrial biology. These findings are not results of MitoTov™.

When mitochondria wear out,
cells lose their energy.

Young cell

Mitochondria make most of the energy our cells use.

With age or injury

Damaged mitochondria build up and energy falls — recovery in skin, joints and immunity slows.

Restored

TovCell Bio aims to restore cellular energy with healthy mitochondria from the patient’s own plasma.

Healthy mitochondria help damaged ones.

Mitochondria fuse and share their contents. Research has shown that when healthy mitochondria merge with damaged ones, they can compensate for defects and restore energy production — and that transplanted mitochondria join the cell’s own network.

Concept illustration. Mitochondrial dysfunction is recognized as one of the hallmarks of aging. The fusion studies cited are cell and animal research on mitochondria in general, not results of MitoTov™; our own research is preclinical.

We isolate and deliver mitochondria,
aiming to restore cellular energy.

  1. 01

    Isolate

    Healthy mitochondria, prepared with high purity

  2. 02

    Deliver

    Into the cells and tissue that need them

  3. 03

    Restore

    Aiming to restore cellular energy, in clinics and future therapies