Promising novel treatment for Osteoarthritis revealed by new research

Manchester, United Kingdom, 5 June 2023 – The University of Manchester and Link Biologics Limited today announced the publication of preclinical data on a potential new treatment for Osteoarthritis in the peer-reviewed journal, Osteoarthritis and Cartilage. This paper describes the development of a protein biological drug termed Link_TSG6 with disease modifying properties.

Osteoarthritis (OA) is the most common form of joint disease, affecting >250 million people worldwide and representing a major and growing cause of long-term disability. OA is a complex disorder where multiple factors such as obesity, joint injury and genetics contribute to structural deterioration, and potentially failure, of synovial joints. Despite a high burden of disease there are no approved disease-modifying OA drugs (DMOAD) and current strategies for pain relief are inadequate. Eventually many patients progress to late-stage OA and undergo joint replacement surgery with unsatisfactory outcomes in a significant proportion of cases.

The newly published study explored the role of the human TSG-6 protein in osteoarthritis (OA), and evaluated the disease modifying potential of Link_TSG6 (a fragment derived from the TSG-6 protein) in cell, rodent and human cartilage explant models of OA. Results from the study showed that Link_TSG6 suppresses the production of enzymes implicated in cartilage damage - a hallmark of OA. Furthermore, administration of Link_TSG6 reduced cartilage breakdown, underpinning its potential as a DMOAD, and also reduced touch-evoked pain behaviour supporting a possible analgesic effect.

Caroline Aylott, Head of Research Delivery at charity Versus Arthritis, who co-funded the research, said:

“There is a critical need for treatments that slow down the progression of osteoarthritis to delay or avoid joint replacement surgery and to reduce the pain that so many experience. The data is promising and whilst the research is in its early stages, it shows that Link_TSG6 has the potential to offer a new class of disease modifying drugs to treat osteoarthritis."

The study revealed that Link_TSG6 mimics the intrinsic anti-inflammatory and chondroprotective properties of the full-length TSG-6 protein, as well as having greater potency. In addition, it was found that a substantial proportion of cartilage explants from OA donors undergoing knee-replacement surgery were responsive to Link_TSG6 treatment suggesting that this protein biologic may have therapeutic utility for a large number of OA patients.

"This study has identified a potential new treatment for OA with disease modifying and analgesic properties," said Professor Tony Day, a co-corresponding author, from the Wellcome Centre for Cell-Matrix Research, University of Manchester, and Chief Scientific Officer of Link Biologics. "It is extremely rewarding to obtain such compelling preclinical data and we intend to progress this work by advancing Link_TSG6 towards human clinical trials over the next few years."

The full paper "The recombinant Link module of human TSG-6 suppresses cartilage damage in models of osteoarthritis: a potential disease-modifying OA drug" can be accessed online at:

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1063458423008026#bib44

For media enquiries contact:

Samuel Zelmer

Digital Marketing Manager

University of Manchester Innovation Factory

+44 (0)7917 422245 (mobile) samuel.zelmer@uominnovationfactory.com

About Link Biologics

Link Biologics is a preclinical biotechnology company spun-out from the University of Manchester, UK, in June 2021 with a mission to develop Link_TSG6 and transform outcomes in inflammatory and degenerative disorders. Link_TSG6 is based on the human TSG-6 protein, which has an endogenous role to protect tissues from inflammatory damage. In addition to Osteoarthritis (OA) the company is investigating Link_TSG6 in Dry Eye Disease (DED), a condition affecting ~350 million people worldwide and causing persistent eye irritation, blurred vision, pain and decreased quality of life.

Further information is available at www.linkbiologics.co.uk

About The University of Manchester

The University of Manchester, a member of the prestigious Russell Group, is one of the UK’s largest single-site universities with more than 40,000 students. The University is also one of the country’s major research institutions, rated fifth in the UK in terms of ‘research power’ (REF 2021). World-class research is carried out across a diverse range of fields including advanced materials, biological sciences, cancer, energy, global inequalities and industrial biotechnology.