Medical Professionals
CellCoTec recognises the need of surgeons and patients for a single surgical therapy with robust and long term effectiveness. We have therefore developed a single surgical procedure using autologous cell based therapy.
The patented Cellular Regeneration Technology (CRT) relies on cellular synergy between primary chondrocytes and bone marrow, enabling enhanced cartilage formation. The Mechanically Functional Scaffold (MFS) technology provides a degradable biomaterial implant matching dynamic stiffness, the most relevant mechanical property for dynamic cartilage function:
The key properties of CRT are:
- It has been demonstrated that CRT enables hyaline cartilage formation from clinically relevant combinations of primary chondrocytes and bone marrow as aspirated. In contrast, expanded chondrocytes used in autologous chondrocyte implantation (ACI) did not result in cartilage formation.
- CRT has been shown to be superior in cartilage formation compared to one of the most effective growth factor cocktails known.
- Cartilage formation through CRT is robust to donor and age variations.
- A method for rapid isolation of chondrocytes. This procedure is substantially faster than existing chondrocyte isolation procedures and allows for isolation of sufficient viable chondrocytes in a one hour period to facilitate a single-surgical procedure.
The key properties of MFS are:
- A biodegradable scaffold matching the dynamic stiffness of native articular cartilage, based on a copolymer system for which a master file is available at the FDA, and for which a product of the same polymer chemistry received FDA approval and the CE mark. This product has been implanted into more than 5,000 patients without any adverse events.
- Supports cartilage formation through its specific polymer chemistry and 3D architecture.
This scientific data base allows us to simplify cell-based cartilage repair therapies into a single surgery procedure and, compared to ACI, to anticipate enhanced efficacy of cartilage repair, and a substantially reduced rehabilitation time.
Following completion of preclinical development, CellCoTec intends to commence a pilot 10 patient clinical trial by the end of 2009, followed by a pivotal trial, both conducted in Europe.