FRISCO, TX, UNITED STATES, June 4, 2026 /EINPresswire.com/ — TriCelX Arabia, LLC — A Phased GCC Distribution and Abu Dhabi Manufacturing Platform Built on TriCelX’s FDA Trial-May-Proceed Clearance for XytriX in Knee Osteoarthritis, the First-of-Kind XytriX CTE IND Filing Under BOSA, and an Active U.S. Department of Defense Collaboration
FRISCO, Texas and ABU DHABI, United Arab Emirates — May 26, 2026 — TriCelX, Inc. (“TriCelX”), a vertically integrated clinical-stage allogeneic biotherapeutic platform company, today announced the execution of a tripartite Memorandum of Understanding with ADCAN Pharma LLC of Abu Dhabi and DAS Holding of Dubai to form a UAE-domiciled joint venture, TriCelX Arabia, LLC.
The joint venture will introduce the TriCelX biotherapeutic portfolio to the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) region in two phases:
1. Initial importation and distribution sourced from TriCelX’s FDA-registered facility in Frisco, Texas.
2. A dedicated regional manufacturing center located at ADCAN Pharma’s Abu Dhabi premises.
Definitive Agreements will be negotiated in the coming months.
The CTE Foundation — First Biotherapeutic Platform IND in CTE Since BOSA
The joint venture is anchored to a milestone that differentiates the TriCelX platform from any regional alternative: the first biotherapeutic platform Investigational New Drug (IND) application in Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy (CTE) since the December 2024 enactment of the Blast Overpressure Safety Act (BOSA).
The XytriX CTE Phase 1/2 IND was submitted on May 18, 2026, to FDA CBER’s Office of Tissues and Advanced Therapies, with concurrent RMAT and Breakthrough Therapy Designation requests. The program builds on the previously cleared XytriX Knee Osteoarthritis IND (Study May Proceed, April 22, 2026), which uses the same drug substance.
Because CTE is the disease endpoint of chronic blast overpressure exposure and repetitive head impacts, the XytriX CTE program is the first biotherapeutic platform IND filed for the cohort BOSA was enacted to protect. TriCelX’s federal engagement spans USAMMDA, U.S. Special Operations Command, BARDA under Project BioShield, CDMRP’s TBI Research Program, the National Intrepid Center of Excellence, and AFRRI.
For ADCAN, DAS, and GCC procurement authorities, this provides a unique advantage: independent U.S. federal review of the identical platform that TriCelX Arabia will distribute regionally.
Regional Context
Beyond CTE, the XytriX platform is positioned to address the three primary casualty manifestations of a nuclear, radiological, or blast event:
• Acute radiation syndrome (gastrointestinal, cutaneous, CNS)
• Blast traumatic brain injury
• Combined-injury wounds
No FDA-approved medical countermeasure currently covers these domains. Through TriCelX Arabia, ADCAN becomes the natural regional custodian of validated biotherapeutic countermeasures, with cryogenic biorepository operations contemplated in Abu Dhabi, and DAS serving as the strategic counterparty for government engagement across the GCC, MENA, and adjacent markets. Each GCC member state represents an independent sovereign procurement opportunity.
Executive Commentary
Jakes Jordaan, Esq., Founder and Chief Executive Officer, TriCelX, Inc.:
“The CTE filing changed what is possible here. With FDA Trial-May-Proceed status on our XytriX Knee Osteoarthritis program — and the first biotherapeutic platform IND in CTE filed since BOSA, using the same drug substance — we had the predicate to bring an operational vehicle to the Department of Defense. With this MOU, the same predicate now underwrites a regional partnership with ADCAN and DAS. The science, the manufacturing, and the FDA file are the same. What changes is the procurement authority on the other side of the table.”
Authorized Representative, ADCAN Pharma LLC:
“ADCAN Pharma was founded in alignment with the United Arab Emirates’ long-term commitment to build world-class healthcare infrastructure for the region. Adding a TriCelX-standard biotherapeutic platform capability to our Abu Dhabi Industrial City footprint advances exactly that mission.”
Abdul Salam Baker Al Belushi, MD, FAANS, FACS, FCNS — Chief Medical Officer, TriCelX, Inc., and TriCelX Arabia JV Clinical Lead:
“CTE is a tauopathy, and the GSK-3β and CDK5 kinase cascades that drive tau hyperphosphorylation in CTE activate downstream of chronic microglial neuroinflammation — substantially the same pathways that drive Alzheimer’s tau pathology. That convergence is what makes XytriX a tauopathy platform candidate, not a single-indication therapy. Bringing this work into the GCC through TriCelX Arabia extends the same platform we are positioning for active-duty service members in the United States to clinicians and patients across the region.”
About TriCelX, Inc.
TriCelX, Inc. is a vertically integrated, clinical-stage allogeneic biotherapeutic platform company headquartered in Frisco, Texas. Its five-product birth-tissue portfolio — XytriX, CB-NK, LuMatriX, OrthoMatriX, and AlloCelX — converts a single umbilical cord donation event into differentiated products spanning the Phase 1/2 IND clinical pathway and the Section 361 HCT/P commercial pathway. Two XytriX INDs have been filed with the U.S. FDA: Knee Osteoarthritis (Study May Proceed, April 22, 2026) and Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy (submitted May 18, 2026, with concurrent RMAT and Breakthrough Therapy Designation requests). More information at www.tricelx.com.
About ADCAN Pharma LLC
ADCAN Pharma is a UAE pharmaceutical company headquartered in Abu Dhabi Industrial City, established in alignment with the UAE’s long-term strategic plan to build world-class healthcare infrastructure for the region. ADCAN operates a licensed pharmaceutical manufacturing facility with an annual capacity of 500 million tablets and 80 million capsules. More information at www.adcanpharma.ae.
About DAS Holding
DAS Holdings is a Dubai-based investment and business development group with established regulatory relationships and institutional networks across the GCC region, partnering with international healthcare and life sciences companies on regional market entry, government engagement, and commercial-scale strategies.
Forward-Looking Statements
This release contains forward-looking statements regarding the planned formation of TriCelX Arabia, LLC; Definitive Agreements; an Abu Dhabi regional manufacturing center; regulatory approvals in the U.S., UAE, and other GCC jurisdictions; clinical development of XytriX; and engagement with U.S. federal counterparties. The FDA RMAT and Breakthrough Therapy Designation requests remain under review. The MOU does not create a binding obligation to consummate the joint venture except as expressly stated within the MOU. Actual results may differ materially from current expectations.
Media and Partnership Contacts
TriCelX, Inc.
Kathryn Dziedzic · Strategic Partnership Team
govaffairs@tricelx.com · +1 970-305-1165 · www.tricelx.com
ADCAN Pharma LLC
+971 2 555 1719 · www.adcanpharma.ae
DAS Holding
Dubai, United Arab Emirates
Kathryn Dziedzic
TriCelX
+1 970-305-1165
email us here
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