OBADEX Biotherapy

Towards a paradigm shift for chronic metabolic diseases

Obesity is associated with chronic metabolic diseases, such as NAFLD, NASH, Type-2 Diabetes and cardiovascular diseases. Despite the emergence of novel treatments in recent years, millions of obese patients remain with no therapeutic solution, in particular NASH patients, post-bariatric surgery patients displaying complex obesity and patients who are resistant or poorly responding to anti-diabetic and anti-obesity drugs.
In obesity, the balance between white adipose tissue (the ‘good’ fat) and brown adipose tissue (the ‘bad’ fat) is altered, with white adipose tissue accumulating and becoming dysfunctional, while brown adipose tissue disappears or is impaired. Nonetheless, brown adipose tissue is known to burn the excess of energy and regulate metabolism by secreting specific anti-obesity, anti-diabetes and anti-NASH factors, thus preventing chronic metabolic diseases.
Preclinical research has shown that brown adipose tissue transplantation is able to counteract obesity-related chronic metabolic diseases in preclinical models, but a technological limitation in producing a brown adipose tissue cell therapy from human material has prevented its application in obese patients so far.

A Breakthrough Cell Therapy for Metabolic Disorders in Obesity

ObAdEx is our breakthrough technology that overcomes the barrier of ex vivo culture and production of a viable and metabolically active brown adipose tissue-based cell therapy.

Our technology allows to transform human white adipose tissue into a functional and metabolically active brown adipose tissue therapeutic product. Transplantation of our brown adipose tissue ObAdEx biotherapy in obese patients might restore the metabolic balance between white and brown adipose tissue, thus preventing and treating chronic metabolic diseases such as NASH, cardiovascular diseases and diabetes. Preclinical development of ObAdEx has demonstrated that the product is viable, revascularized and metabolically active several weeks after transplantation.
ObAdEx is protected by two international patent families and a unique know-how from more than 30 years of experience in stem cells and adipose tissue. Further development is ongoing, in order to adapt the bioproduction process for industrial and clinical scale-up and assess the potential of both an autologous and allogenic approach in preclinical models of obesity and NASH.
We aim at initially targeting patients with the highest unmet medical, such as post-bariatric surgery patients displaying complex metabolic obesity, opening a simplified regulatory and clinical path for extension to broader patient populations, such as obese NASH patients, obese diabetic patients and obese patients with concomitant therapeutic approaches for synergistic effect.

A fundraising campaign to accelerate ObAdEx development

ObAdEx is a first-in-class cell therapy product based on human brown adipose tissue properties to address obesity-associated chronic metabolic diseases in patients with no other therapeutic options.

We are undergoing a fundraising campaign to accelerate ObAdEx development and are open to get in contact with investors.

A developmental plan specifically built and validated by experts in cell therapy field is ongoing to upscale bioproduct process for both niche and large market applications and to reduce developmental risks for first-in-patient dosing.
ObAdEx has received Deeptech label by BpiFrance and is being developed in collaboration with SATT Sud-Est, CNRS, Nice University Hospital and Côte d’Azur University/Idex.

2023

Early
development

2024

Process scale-up
& industrial adaptation

2025

Non-regulatory
preclinical

2026

Clinical batch &
Bridging studies

2027

First-in-patient

KOL on adipose tissue biology.

Research Director (DR1 INSERM).
Team Leader of « Stem Cells and Differentiation » Lab at Institut de Biologie Valrose (Nice). 

Label of Laboratoire d’Excellence by the French National Research Agency (Investissements pour le Futur, Labex Signalife program). 

Co-inventor of 5 patents

Expert in clinical applications of adipose tissue.

Plastic Reconstructive and Aesthetic Surgeon in Nice.

Member of the Medical Council of Alpes Maritimes region.

Expert for the French National Regulatory Agency ANSM for medical devices.

Certified by French Health Autority HAS (2020-2024).

PhD thesis (2018) on fat tissue and adipose tissue stem cells grafting.

Expert in cell therapy and immunology. 

Senior Lecturer (Maitre de conférences).

Responsible of the Cell and Gene Therapy Unity of Nice University Hospital (CHU de Nice).

Director of « Micoralis » research team at Université Côte d’Azur (Nice).

Founder and CEO of the biotech company Biointerférence (2003-2006).

Co-inventor of 5 patents.

Vincent is responsible of company strategy and technological innovation, thanks to his double skill set in science and deeptech startup development.

With a deep knowledge and vision about ExAdEx technology, Vincent has actively worked as a deeptech entrepreneur to push further the development of breakthrough innovative products around human adipose tissue, which lead him to create ExAdEx-Inov. 

In addition to his entrepreneurial skills, Vincent has a strong background in biology (PhD in Cellular and Molecular Biology from Université Côte d’Azur) and training in clinical research management (CRA training at the Faculty of Medicine of La Timone, Marseille). 

He is co-inventor of the 2 company’s patent families. 

Main areas of expertise: DeepTech entrepreneur; Bioengineering of human adipose tissue. 

Luigi is responsible of the management of company operations and business development strategy, thanks to his expertise in biotech startup development.

With a double competence and training in business and science (including an MBA from IAE Paris Sorbonne Business School and a PhD in Cytological Sciences from Rome University La Sapienza), Luigi has been managing business development and R&D projects in a preclinical CRO and a biotech startup company in previous years. 

He has been supporting ExAdEx-Innov project and business development since his position as an Entrepreneur in Residence for CNRS Innovation Tech Transfer Office in 2021.

Main areas of expertise: Biotech Startup Business Development; Project management