Vikram Visvanathan
Founder & CEO
Innovation is a challenging process, and translating research into a marketable finished product is never easy. Only a fraction of research outcomes from academic institutions have been commercialized, and the rest have remained as research projects.
We identify the feasibility of the research project in terms of its implications in healthcare and work to wards materializing it into adaptable technology that has commercial viability.
Invitreo has partnered with the Steno Diabetes Center Copenhagen for long term preclinical studies, further development and commercialization of a stemcell-based therapy for Type 1 Diabetes, also known as a Bioartificial Pancreas (BAP). The patented technology was developed by Prof. Jayesh Bellare and his team from IIT Bombay, and short term studies have shown restoration of normal concentration of glucose in the blood (normoglycemia) for 30 days in mouse models.
Our vision is to develop a safe, long term and cost effective treatment for Type 1 Diabetes using this technology.
Type 1 Diabetes:
Type 1 Diabetes is an autoimmune disease that affects 43 million people worldwide. It occurs when beta cells of the pancreas stop producing insulin and is most common among children and young adults <20 years of age.
The diagnosis results in a lifelong need to take insulin, risk of comorbidities and loss of quality of life. The lack of medication can result in ever-increasing blood sugar levels and life-threatening complications.
Bioartificial Pancreas (BAP)
To treat Type 1 Diabetes, doctors recommend the use of insulin injections, insulin pumps, or transplantation of either the whole pancreas
or islet cells part of the pancreas that produces insulin. Recently, there has been considerable progress in developing a Bioartificial Pancreas with islet cells that mimic the function of a natural pancreas. However, a persistent roadblock has been the issue of bio compatibility the body treats the Bioartificial Pancreas as a foreign object, triggering the immune system’s response, which can degrade the function of the Bioartificial Pancreas (BAP).
Invitreo’s BAP technology contains pancreatic islets (allogeneic or xenogeneic) or differentiated islets encapsulated within a synthetic bio compatible semipermeable membrane and fully mimics the behaviour and function of a healthy pancreas.
Short-term studies on mouse models have shown the following benefits:
• restoration of normal concentration of glucose in the blood (normoglycemia) for 30 days
• allows insulin to reach the patient while preventing an immune reaction from cells if they are of foreign origin
• the hollow fibre membrane did not harm the surrounding tissue
• the implant did not give rise to abnormalities in internal organs
• that blood vessels were growing as planned to indicate that the immune system accepted the implant
• the implant supported cell growth by mimicking the extracellular matrix in which the cells naturally grow
Therefore the technology over comes the three limiting factors of immuno suppression, rejection, and lack of pancreas for implantation. Moreover, the envisaged therapy is a minimally invasive procedure, in which the implant can be injected directly into the abdominal muscles.
Partnership With Steno Diabetes Center Copenhagen
The Steno Diabetes Center has been run as a hospital for more than 89 years, specializing in the treatment, research, prevention of Diabetes and in training of healthcare professionals in the field of Diabetes. It is Scandinavia's largest Diabetes clinic and treats more than 9,000 people with Diabetes from the Capital Region every year.
In collaboration with Steno, we wish to establish that our technology will work for a longer duration without negative immune responses and other abnormalities. When proven safe and effective, it will have a tremendously positive effect on the quality of life for the 43 million people worldwide suffering from Type 1 Diabetes.
" Our vision is to develop a safe, long term and cost-effective treatment for Type 1 Diabetes using this technology "
About the Founder
Vikram Visvanathan (Founder & CEO, Invitreo) is a health tech entrepreneur with 15+ years of hands-on experience in medical animation, digital health and 3D printing in healthcare.
Prior to Invitreo, he was the Founder & CEO of MARK IV Animation, a company with a local presence in India and Germany that specialized in medical animation, and worked with multinational pharmaceutical companies globally, to develop drug mechanism of action, salesforce training and patient education videos.
Invitreo’s BAP technology contains pancreatic islets (allogeneic or xenogeneic) or differentiated islets encapsulated within a synthetic bio compatible semipermeable membrane and fully mimics the behaviour and function of a healthy pancreas.
Short-term studies on mouse models have shown the following benefits:
• restoration of normal concentration of glucose in the blood (normoglycemia) for 30 days
• allows insulin to reach the patient while preventing an immune reaction from cells if they are of foreign origin
• the hollow fibre membrane did not harm the surrounding tissue
• the implant did not give rise to abnormalities in internal organs
• that blood vessels were growing as planned to indicate that the immune system accepted the implant
• the implant supported cell growth by mimicking the extracellular matrix in which the cells naturally grow
Invitreo has partnered with the Steno Diabetes Center Copenhagen for long term preclinical studies, further development and commercialization of a stem-cell-based therapy for Type 1 Diabetes
Therefore the technology over comes the three limiting factors of immuno suppression, rejection, and lack of pancreas for implantation. Moreover, the envisaged therapy is a minimally invasive procedure, in which the implant can be injected directly into the abdominal muscles.
Partnership With Steno Diabetes Center Copenhagen
The Steno Diabetes Center has been run as a hospital for more than 89 years, specializing in the treatment, research, prevention of Diabetes and in training of healthcare professionals in the field of Diabetes. It is Scandinavia's largest Diabetes clinic and treats more than 9,000 people with Diabetes from the Capital Region every year.
In collaboration with Steno, we wish to establish that our technology will work for a longer duration without negative immune responses and other abnormalities. When proven safe and effective, it will have a tremendously positive effect on the quality of life for the 43 million people worldwide suffering from Type 1 Diabetes.
" Our vision is to develop a safe, long term and cost-effective treatment for Type 1 Diabetes using this technology "
About the Founder
Vikram Visvanathan (Founder & CEO, Invitreo) is a health tech entrepreneur with 15+ years of hands-on experience in medical animation, digital health and 3D printing in healthcare.
Prior to Invitreo, he was the Founder & CEO of MARK IV Animation, a company with a local presence in India and Germany that specialized in medical animation, and worked with multinational pharmaceutical companies globally, to develop drug mechanism of action, salesforce training and patient education videos.
