SmartCella and Oloker enter Extroducer® licensing agreement, advancing targeted delivery strategy

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.

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 the partnership, and on the same general terms as previously communicated agreements.

Prof. Alessandro Sannino, Scientific Coordinator at Oloker, comments: “Refractory angina is one of the most challenging cardiovascular conditions and represents a serious unmet treatment need. We have been searching for a delivery approach that is both precise and minimally invasive, and the Extroducer® platform will enable us to administer hCmPC directly to target tissue via the vasculature, without open surgery. We believe this has the potential to improve both tolerability and therapeutic outcome for patients, and we look forward to exploring this further as we advance into clinical development.”

CEO Niklas Prager comments: ”Partnering with Oloker is a strong validation of both the drug delivery technology and our business model. Refractory angina is exactly the type of high-value, difficult-to-treat indication where we believe the Extroducer® can make a real difference, and we look forward to supporting the Oloker team every step of the way, from clinical development to commercialization of hCmPC.”

Strategic shift: sharpening focus on targeted delivery and the Extroducer®

Achieving targeted and effective therapeutic delivery remains one of the most persistent challenges in modern medicine and the shift from systemic to localized delivery is accelerating. This trend is particularly evident in cell and gene therapies, where local delivery is increasingly seen as critical to clinical success.

Following extensive market engagement in 2025 and consistently strong feedback from potential partners globally, SmartCella is sharpening its focus on the Extroducer® technology platform even further as its clearest path to revenue growth and long-term value creation across multiple disease areas.

As part of this shift, and to enable full focus on the growth of our advanced drug delivery platforms, SmartCella is divesting its cell therapy programs and the GMP facility in Tullinge to streamline the business model and bring SmartCella to cash flow breakeven faster. SmartCella also remains committed to finding partners for its proprietary platform for mRNA delivery, including the proof-of-concept program for Osteoarthritis.

CEO Niklas Prager concludes: “The Oloker agreement reflects the strength of the strategic direction we have embarked on. We are building a growing licensing portfolio of non-exclusive partnerships with global biotech and pharmaceutical companies, where the full value is realized when our partners successfully bring their therapies to market, making our offering compelling for all parties. Oloker is an important addition to that portfolio, and a signal of the momentum we are building.”

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

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 non-exclusive 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 Oloker Therapeutics
Oloker Therapeutics, with registered office in Bari and operational headquarter in Milan, Italy, is a biotech company committed to discovery, development and commercialization of cell therapies for the treatment of cardiovascular disease. Their mission is to bring to light new innovative cellular therapies for unmet clinical needs that can improve patients’ prognosis and quality of life through extensive scientific research and in-depth knowledge of cardiovascular diseases.

Read more www.oloker.com