UMDF’s Mitochondrial Medical Symposium has become the place where news breaks on the latest potential treatments and clinical trials.  In 2019, Minovia Therapeutics, an Israeli company running the first ever cell therapy trial to treat a mitochondrial disease, announced it has dosed the first participant in a phase I/II study of a treatment for the rare pediatric condition Pearson syndrome. The first patient in the clinical trial for this pediatric mitochondrial disease was dosed at the Sheba Medical Center Hospital in Tel Aviv.

When she made the announcement in June, Natalie Yivgi Ohana, Ph.D., Co-founder and Chief Executive Officer of Minovia, said “If it is successful, it will not only provide improved quality of life for those living with Pearson syndrome. It could pave the way for the development of treatments for all mitochondrial diseases.”

Seven years ago, Dr. Yivgi Ohana attended her first UMDF symposium.  She met and talked with many patient families and says her care and concern for patients led Minovia to this clinical trial.

Minovia opened a U.S. operation in Cambridge, Massachusetts. The company will use its U.S. presence to expand its clinical and research collaborations with leading medical and academic institutions across North America, as well as with biotech and pharmaceutical companies focused on improving care for patients living with mitochondrial diseases.