Phase 2 trial of autologous MPC therapy reports significant functional gains and clean safety, with wider implications for healthy aging.
Stress urinary incontinence affects more than 150 million women worldwide and, despite its prevalence, it remains a condition often managed rather than meaningfully treated; many patients cycle through conservative measures with limited success before confronting surgical options that can bring durability issues or concerns about synthetic implants. A new Phase 2 trial from Zurich-based MUVON Therapeutics offers a different proposition – not to brace or bulk weakened pelvic floor tissue, but to rebuild it. The company’s tissue-engineered therapy uses autologous muscle precursor cells (MPCs) derived from a small biopsy, expanded in vitro and then implanted into the external urethral sphincter with the aim of regenerating muscle and restoring continence.
The SUISSE-MPC2 trial enrolled 30 women with clinically diagnosed SUI who had not benefited sufficiently from conservative treatment. Participants received one of two dose levels and were followed for six months; both efficacy endpoints – reduction in incontinence episode frequency and reduction in 24-hour pad weight – were met with statistical significance, with improvements evident at one month and maintained throughout follow-up. An 87% responder rate and absence of therapy-related serious adverse events add further weight to the findings, prompting independent urologist Professor Philip Van Kerrebroek to describe the therapy as “a potential game changer in the treatment of stress urinary incontinence [1]”.
Longevity.Technology: Muscle precursor tissue engineered therapy for stress urinary incontinence may sit a little to the side of what we usually cover, but its implications land squarely in the heart of geroscience; rebuilding functional tissue rather than compensating for its loss is precisely the direction longevity interventions must take if they are to move beyond theory and into everyday clinical practice. SUI is not exclusively an age-driven condition, of course, yet its prevalence climbs with age and its underlying pathology – weakening of skeletal muscle in a system whose integrity is essential for quality of life – mirrors the broader challenge of muscular decline in midlife and later life. What MUVON has demonstrated here is that autologous tissue engineered therapy can be both clean on safety and decisive on efficacy, and that should make anyone watching the slow march of regenerative medicine perk up a little. The idea that the pelvis could become a proving ground for scalable muscle restoration is nicely subversive; after all, we have spent decades accepting slings, bulking agents and mesh as necessary evils rather than asking whether the failing tissue could simply be rebuilt.
The twist here is that a study for a condition many still avoid discussing openly has delivered something longevity researchers often envy – a crisp, short-term, functional benefit in humans, without a safety scare lurking in the footnotes. The 87% responder rate and dose-dependent improvements are undeniably eye-catching, yet what lingers is the platform potential; if MPC-based therapies can regenerate pelvic floor muscle, the door creaks open to other muscle groups and other indications where age-related degeneration quietly erodes independence. Women’s healthspan, so frequently sidelined in mainstream longevity discourse, also stands to benefit; pelvic floor dysfunction might not have the glamour of senolytics or partial reprogramming, but it shapes daily life in ways that policymakers and economists cannot ignore as populations age. Regenerating muscle where it matters is not merely a therapeutic win – it is a reminder that restoring biological function is the true currency of longevity, and that sometimes the most instructive advances come from places in which the field wasn’t looking.
Mechanistic focus on tissue repair
MUVON’s approach targets the biology of muscle decline head-on. Speaking to Longevity.Technology, CEO Dr Deana Mohr explained that tissue engineering addresses the two core problems of aging muscles: loss of functional satellite cells and deterioration of the extracellular matrix. “We provide a natural way to reset the regenerative niche and support neo-muscle formation, where endogenous repair is insufficient by naturally rebuilding local tissue architecture,” she explained. Even if systemic muscle aging remains difficult to reverse, Mohr positions the therapy as “a local countermeasure for functional regain to smaller muscles with big impact, enabling healthy aging.”
This focus on restoring the regenerative microenvironment echoes a theme gaining traction across the broader longevity field – that localized repair of highly consequential tissues may deliver meaningful healthspan improvements long before systemic rejuvenation is feasible. The urethral sphincter may be small, but its functional importance is anything but.
Women’s healthspan and pelvic floor integrity
SUI rises sharply in midlife and later life, reflecting hormonal shifts, biomechanical strain and cumulative tissue wear. When asked about the role of pelvic floor health in healthy aging, Mohr was unequivocal: “Pelvic health is of utmost importance for having a fulfilled life, while mitigating chronic disease risks, both for women and men. Successful treatment improves mobility, independence, mental health, exercise capacity, sexual function, confidence and social participation – core pillars of healthy aging.”
Dr Deana Mohr is co-founder and CEO of MUVON Therapeutics.
Pelvic floor disorders remain chronically under-addressed despite their profound effects on autonomy and quality of life. In that context, a minimally invasive, biologically restorative option could represent a significant shift, particularly as global populations age and the socio-economic cost of chronic functional impairment grows.
Beyond incontinence
Although SUI is MUVON’s lead indication, the company views its technology as part of a wider horizon. “We are constantly identifying additional chronic diseases and conditions that develop over time, and we believe that the power of muscle tissue engineering could help restore function and improve the quality of life of those patients,” Mohr told us earlier this year. She also noted the broader relevance of muscle resilience: “As we hit 40, we lose 1% of skeletal muscle mass per year, which is significant. By improving physical resilience and overall functionality, muscle regeneration could contribute to long-term healthspan. As we know, physical activity and capabilities are closely related to mental health and cognitive function in the aging populations.”
A shifting landscape
As clinical programs begin to show that tissue-specific regeneration is viable, not aspirational, the landscape of intervention for age-related decline starts to look less binary and more graduated; small muscles, modest biopsies and local delivery may pave the way for a broader realignment in how we treat functional loss. Longevity biotechnology often looks to moonshots, but progress sometimes arrives through quieter doors – in this case, an organ many prefer not to discuss, yet one whose repair could signal a more regenerative future.
READ MORE: MUVON CEO on how personalized approach to muscle regeneration holds promise for longevity
Photographs courtesy of MUVON Therapeutics