Innovators of the year: Deana Mohr and Jenny Prange renew skeletal muscles

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As if giving birth wasn’t painful enough. Many muscles and nerves can be damaged during childbirth. One in every four women faces the problem of urinary incontinence, that is, uncontrolled emptying of the bladder, after birth. “I was so shocked when I found out about this that I knew I had to do something about it,” says Muvon president Deana Mohr (37). The company is now regenerating skeletal muscle to reverse women’s problems.

For their work at Muvon, Mohr and co-founder Jenny Prange, 37, will be honored with the “Innovator of the Year” award from the Women’s Innovation Forum on Thursday. The two are particularly pleased with the award because people generally don’t like to talk about incontinence. In addition, founders often have to justify why they are not using their therapies in cancer research. “This is a disease that doesn’t kill you, but takes your life,” Mohr says.

Here’s how it works

Mohr was already investigating skeletal muscle regeneration as part of his doctoral thesis. At first only in animal models. “Shortly before I was to defend my thesis, Swissmedic gave me permission to test the treatment on women,” Mohr told Blick.

Muvon’s process is currently in the second phase of clinical trial. Women first have a small muscle biopsy taken. The stem cells are then isolated, multiplied, checked and injected back. “But cell division can no longer continue indefinitely and subsequently cause cancer,” explains Prange. The stronger muscle can now control urine excretion again. The reactions of those who have received treatment so far would be great.

It’s not just women who can benefit

What started as a project at the University of Zurich in 2017 became an independent company in 2020. A team of 16 people currently works at Muvon. A subsidiary of the University of Zurich has launched a fundraising campaign with a goal of raising 15 million francs. “The potential is huge given that there is currently no other treatment,” says Mohr.

Skeletal muscle regeneration can also be applied to other muscles. For example, Muvon’s method may also be useful for men suffering from urinary incontinence after prostate cancer. “We’re still focusing on women right now because there are so many more people affected,” Prange says. Estimates put the number at hundreds of millions of women worldwide. Having a cesarean section at every birth to prevent urinary incontinence is not the solution.

Source :Blick