Touchpoint, an editorial publication focused on the intersection between markets and innovation, dedicated a feature in its February–March print edition to Hemera, including an interview with Cristiana Vignoli, Chief Executive Officer of the company.
The interview addresses the topic of scientific communication in the development of advanced therapies, with a particular focus on its role during the transition from preclinical research to first-in-human clinical trials, which is currently at the core of the development pathway of the REMaST platform.
At this stage, marked by the progression toward first-in-human studies, the appropriate management of scientific communication becomes a key element not only for dissemination purposes, but also for building a transparent and responsible dialogue between research, clinical practice, and sector stakeholders.
Communicating research: coherence, rigor and responsibility
During the interview, Cristiana Vignoli highlights how, for a deep biotech company, communication is an integrated component of the development process and must maintain strong coherence across all stakeholders involved.
“A biotech company cannot afford separate or inconsistent narratives. Hemera has a single narrative architecture, consistently adapted across different stakeholders.”
Communicating the advancements in the research, Vignoli emphasizes, must remain firmly anchored in scientific evidence, which represents the central reference throughout all stages of development.
“Our guiding principle is the regeneration of damaged nervous tissue. The language and context may change, but the substance always remains driven by scientific data.”
REMaST®: from scientific discovery to translational development
The REMaST platform, developed by Hemera, is based on the functional reprogramming of macrophages to activate biological processes involved in nervous tissue regeneration and modulation of the inflammatory response.
Preclinical results, published in Immunity by Cell Press, have contributed to strengthening the scientific rationale of the technology and positioning it within a translational pathway toward clinical application.
During the transition from laboratory research to clinical development, communication plays a particularly sensitive role, as it must ensure clarity, rigor, and accurate contextualization of scientific evidence.
“It is essential to precisely explain the pathway from preclinical data to potential clinical application, avoiding oversimplification and always maintaining a clear understanding of the technology’s stage of development.”
The clinical stage and the role of scientific communication
As development progresses into the first-in-human clinical phase, scientific communication assumes an even more strategic role, becoming an integral part of the project’s scientific responsibility. Balancing innovation and expectations requires clear and accurate language capable of properly reflecting the maturity of the technology and the remaining steps required for full clinical validation.
As Vignoli notes:
“Preclinical results are promising, but every advanced therapy requires a rigorous pathway of successive validations and progressive clinical steps before it can reach patients.”
Clinical impact and development perspective
The interview also highlights the clinical context of spinal cord injury, a complex condition with high unmet medical need for which no curative treatments currently exist.
In this scenario, REMaST represents a therapeutic platform with the potential to improve motor function and patients’ quality of life, while remaining within an ongoing translational research pathway.