The Extroducer® is SmartCella’s modality-agnostic endovascular delivery platform designed for localized drug delivery to hard-to-reach organs, tumors, and tissues. Developed at Karolinska Institutet and FDA 510(k)-cleared for use in peripheral (including abdominal) tissues, it enables minimally invasive, catheter-based delivery using arteries and veins as natural access routes for localized injection of therapeutic agents into target tissues. The platform is currently in clinical investigation for additional indications.

Myocardial infarction causes irreversible loss of heart muscle cells, which in adult humans cannot regenerate. As a result, the heart forms non-contractile scar tissue, leading to permanent impairment of cardiac function and, in many cases, chronic heart failure. This condition affects over 64 million patients worldwide. Despite advances in pharmacological and interventional treatments, no curative therapy currently exists. To address this unmet need, Heqet will leverage the Extroducer® platform to deliver RNA compounds as part of its development program, currently in preclinical phase, targeting cardiac regeneration following myocardial infarction.

The agreement reflects a long-term partnership that will benefit both parties' growth ambitions and follows SmartCella's business model, structured to generate revenue across multiple streams throughout the lifecycle of a partnership, and on similar general terms as previous agreements communicated by SmartCella.

Bo Rode Hansen, Executive Chair of Heqet Therapeutics, comments: "Despite decades of innovation, no therapeutic approach has succeeded in regenerating functional myocardium in situ. The irreversible loss of cardiomyocytes following myocardial infarction remains one of the most pressing challenges in cardiovascular medicine, and delivery continues to be a critical barrier to progress. This agreement marks an important step forward, towards fulfilling Heqet’s vision: to redefine the standard of care for myocardial infarction-induced cardiac regeneration, and we believe the Extroducer® delivery platform has the potential to become a key enabler for our products to achieve this.

Niklas Prager, CEO of SmartCella, comments: "We are delighted to enter into this partnership with Heqet. Myocardial infarction remains one of the leading causes of death worldwide, and with the Heqet program moving into clinical stage development, the combination of their innovative RNA compound and the Extroducer® delivery platform has the potential to unlock a truly differentiated approach to cardiac regeneration. We had a strong collaboration during the evaluation phase and look forward to deepening our relationship with a shared commitment to improving outcomes for patients with ischemic heart disease. This agreement is further testament to the versatility of our targeted drug delivery platform."

Contacts
SmartCella
Niklas Prager, CEO +46 76 811 77 44
Nina Nornholm, Head of Communication & Investor Relations +46 708 550 356

Heqet Therapeutics
Bo Rode Hansen, Executive Chair bo.hansen@heqettherapeutics.com

About SmartCella
SmartCella is a global drug delivery company pioneering innovative delivery solutions for targeted therapies. The main technology, the Extroducer®, is a modality-agnostic endovascular delivery device designed for localized delivery to hard-to-reach organs, tumors, and tissues. The Extroducer® is FDA 510(k)-cleared for use in peripheral (including abdominal) tissues to inject diagnostic and therapeutic solutions into the perivascular space. It is currently in clinical investigation for additional indications. SmartCella commercializes the Extroducer® through licensing agreements with global biotech and pharma companies, enabling broad application across all development phases. The company also offers a proprietary stem cell platform for the delivery of mRNA therapeutics, featuring a proof-of-concept program focused on Osteoarthritis.

Founded in 2014, SmartCella is built on world-class research from Sweden’s Karolinska Institutet.

Read more www.smartcella.com and follow SmartCella on LinkedIn

About Heqet Therapeutics
Heqet Therapeutics is a pre-clinical stage biotechnology company developing first-in-class, non-coding RNA-based therapies for cardiovascular disease, with a particular focus on acute myocardial infarction and the heart failure that follows it. Heqet is on track to advance its first RNA-based therapy for cardiac regeneration into clinical development, addressing a core limitation in current heart failure treatment: the inability to restore lost cardiomyocytes. The company is a spin-out of King's College London, stemming from the pioneering research of Prof. Mauro Giacca on cardiomyocyte regeneration. Founded in 2021 and headquartered in Turin, Italy, Heqet Therapeutics is backed by Claris Ventures SGR S.p.A, i2i Capital Limited and 2Invest AG.

Read more www.heqettherapeutics.com and follow Heqet Therapetics on LinkedIn