Latest news with #adrenalinsufficiency
National Post
14-07-2025
- Health
- National Post
Aspect Biosystems Presents New Preclinical Data on Adrenal Bioprinted Tissue Therapeutics at ENDO 2025
Article content Preclinical data highlight the potential of Aspect's adrenal Bioprinted Tissue Therapeutics to restore adrenal function and treat primary adrenal insufficiency Article content VANCOUVER, British Columbia — Aspect Biosystems, a biotechnology company pioneering the development of Bioprinted Tissue Therapeutics (BTTs) as a new category in regenerative medicine, today announced new preclinical data at ENDO 2025, the Endocrine Society's annual meeting held in San Francisco. The company presented an oral and poster presentation highlighting that Aspect's adrenal BTTs can restore adrenal function, following natural daily hormone rhythms and maintaining long-term performance in animal models of primary adrenal insufficiency. Article content Primary adrenal insufficiency is a serious, life-threatening condition in which the adrenal glands fail to produce sufficient levels of essential hormones such as cortisol, a key regulator of the body's stress response. The current standard of care involves daily hormone replacement therapy, which does not fully replicate the body's natural circadian hormone rhythms and is associated with significant drug-related side effects. This can leave patients with a poor quality of life and at risk of ongoing health challenges, including potentially fatal adrenal crises. Aspect's adrenal BTTs were developed using the company's proprietary full-stack tissue therapeutic platform, which combines AI-powered bioprinting, computational design tools, therapeutic cells, and advanced biomaterials. Article content In preclinical studies, adrenal BTTs containing human adrenal cells were implanted into adrenalectomized mice. These BTTs produced cortisol in response to adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH) stimulation—which is normally secreted from the brain—and followed the animals' natural circadian fluctuations in hormone levels. When exposed to high levels of injected ACTH, these mice demonstrated rapid increases in circulating cortisol, confirming that the adrenal BTTs were functionally responsive. In contrast, control animals receiving cell-free implants showed no significant cortisol levels and did not respond to ACTH stimulation. Importantly, adrenal BTTs remained functional in vivo throughout the study period of over six months and improved animal survival. Article content 'Our research shows that Aspect's adrenal BTTs successfully replicate healthy human adrenal gland function by releasing cortisol in a pattern that follows the natural daily rhythms of hormone release and by responding appropriately to a stimulus that mimics a stress response,' said Sam Wadsworth, PhD, Chief Scientific Officer at Aspect Biosystems. 'These results demonstrate that our off-the-shelf, implantable cell therapy can work in harmony with the body's physiology and has real potential to serve as a functional cure for primary adrenal insufficiency.' Article content 'At Aspect, we're making breakthrough progress with our Bioprinted Tissue Therapeutics platform to restore complex biological functions across a range of serious endocrine and metabolic diseases,' said Tamer Mohamed, Chief Executive Officer of Aspect Biosystems. 'This latest advance in primary adrenal insufficiency, a rare and life-threatening condition with limited treatment options, showcases the potential of a bioengineered cell therapy to recreate natural hormone function and deliver a truly disease-modifying solution. This reflects our mission to develop regenerative medicines capable of achieving functional cures for patients with serious and underserved diseases.' Article content About ENDO Article content Hosted by the Endocrine Society, ENDO is the leading global meeting on endocrinology research and clinical care. The Endocrine Society is the world's oldest and largest organization of scientists devoted to hormone research and physicians who care for people with hormone-related conditions. Learn more at Article content About Aspect Biosystems Article content Aspect Biosystems is a biotechnology company pioneering the development of Bioprinted Tissue Therapeutics (BTTs) to transform how we treat some of the most elusive diseases. Aspect's BTTs are designed to replace, repair, or supplement biological function inside the body. Aspect is creating these next-generation cell therapies by applying its full-stack tissue therapeutic platform, which integrates proprietary AI-powered bioprinting technology, computational design tools, therapeutic cells, and advanced biomaterials. Aspect is advancing a pipeline of BTTs across multiple disease areas in the endocrine and metabolic space including diabetes, obesity, rare endocrine disorders, and liver disease. Aspect's pipeline development strategy involves both proprietary programs as well as strategic partnerships, including a collaboration with Novo Nordisk focused on diabetes and obesity. For more information, please visit and follow on LinkedIn. Article content Article content Article content Article content
South China Morning Post
05-07-2025
- Health
- South China Morning Post
‘Space oil' linked to possible fatal condition among Hong Kong teen users: study
Some Hong Kong teenagers using the illegal drug 'space oil' were found to suffer from a possibly fatal condition in which levels of certain important hormones were drastically reduced, a study from a medical journal has found. Doctors involved in the research also found that the impact on young people's health could persist even if they stopped using the drug but were still exposed to it while hanging out with other users. The findings were contained in medical research report on the narcotic's health impact on three boys, aged 15 to 17, who were all diagnosed with adrenal insufficiency after being sent to public hospital paediatric departments in April and May last year. The cases are the first three teenagers documented in Hong Kong. One of the teenagers mentioned in the report continued to show signs of adrenal insufficiency despite having stopped abusing space oil for several months, with doctors saying it could be due to second-hand exposure. 'This is the first local paediatric report of adrenal insufficiency associated with etomidate misuse via e-cigarettes,' researchers said in the article, which was published in the Hong Kong Medical Journal last month.
South China Morning Post
05-07-2025
- Health
- South China Morning Post
‘Space oil' linked to possible fatal condition among Hong Kong teen users: study
Some Hong Kong teenagers using the illegal drug 'space oil' have suffered from a possibly fatal condition in which levels of certain important hormones are drastically reduced, a study from a medical journal has found. Doctors involved in the research also found that the impact on young people's health could persist even if they stopped using the drug but were still exposed to it while hanging out with other users. The findings came to light in a medical research report on the narcotic's health impact on three boys, aged 15 to 17, who were all diagnosed with adrenal insufficiency after being sent to public hospital paediatric departments in April and May last year. The cases are the first three documented in Hong Kong. One of the teenagers mentioned in the report continued to show signs of adrenal insufficiency despite having stopped abusing space oil for several months, with doctors saying it could be due to second-hand exposure. 'This is the first local paediatric report of adrenal insufficiency associated with etomidate misuse via e-cigarettes,' researchers said in the article, which was published in the Hong Kong Medical Journal last month.
Medscape
02-07-2025
- Health
- Medscape
Patients With Adrenal Crisis Face Challenges With Injections
TOPLINE: Nearly 60% of patients with adrenal insufficiency and their caregivers needed to administer emergency glucocorticoid injections, yet more than one third failed, resulting in negative outcomes. Confusion, illness, and the need for assistance were primary barriers to self-administered injections. METHODOLOGY: Adrenal crisis, a severe manifestation of adrenal insufficiency, requires rapid administration of glucocorticoids to prevent life-threatening outcomes. Although considered treatable, these events often lead to poor outcomes due to system failures and lack of awareness. A survey conducted in 2022 through the National Adrenal Diseases Foundation website targeted adults aged > 18 years and children aged < 18 years with adrenal insufficiency or their caregivers to assess their experiences with emergency glucocorticoid injections. The survey comprised 17 questions and included two optional text fields for additional comments on hospital access and experiences with adrenal crisis. Among 657 respondents (mean age, 51.3 years; 89% women), 566 were individuals with adrenal insufficiency and 91 were caregivers for adults or children with adrenal insufficiency. TAKEAWAY: Overall, 57% of respondents reported the need to administer an emergency glucocorticoid injection to manage an adrenal crisis, with 37% of them indicating the inability to administer the injection when needed. Caregivers achieved a higher success rate of administering these injections than patients (86% vs 59%; P =.0002). Adrenal crises were successfully stabilized in 92% of cases where injections were completely administered. Failure to administer injections resulted in negative outcomes, including hospitalization or death, in 36% of cases where respondents could not administer the injection. Barriers to self-administered injections included confusion, illness, isolation, and the need for assistance. Of those needing emergency injections, 25% were unfamiliar with the process and 58% had never practiced using a syringe to draw medication from a vial. Individuals who successfully administered injections had more experience with practice. IN PRACTICE: 'Education about the condition and its treatment is central to this process for all stakeholders,' the authors wrote. 'Our data emphasize the urgency and importance of gathering the stakeholders to initiate the comprehensive redesign of emergency care for patients with AI [adrenal insufficiency],' they added. 'Timely, effective intervention can mean the difference between recovery and a life-threatening situation,' Elizabeth Regan, MD, PhD, a physician researcher at National Jewish Health and senior author of the study, said in a press release. SOURCE: This study was led by Whitaker J. Hover and Aiden D. Krein, Division of Pulmonary, Critical Care, and Sleep Medicine, Department of Medicine, National Jewish Health in Denver. It was published online in Endocrine Practice. LIMITATIONS: The anonymous and internet-based nature of this study limited the verification of disease status and the diagnostic records. Additionally, participants were from a patient advocacy group with extensive educational programs, which might not have represented the general population of patients with adrenal insufficiency. DISCLOSURES: This study did not report any funding source. One author reported being the Founder and Chief Strategy Officer for Solution Medical, which is developing injector products for adrenal crisis treatment. This article was created using several editorial tools, including AI, as part of the process. Human editors reviewed this content before publication.
