Fusion IP plc, the commercialization specialist for the U.K.’s Cardiff University, has spun out Progenteq Ltd to develop a cartilage replacement therapy for the treatment of acute knee injuries. The company is founded on the work of Charlie Archer, PhD, professor of reparative biology and tissue engineering in the connective tissue research group at Cardiff’s School of Biosciences. Archer and colleagues have isolated a defined population of cells from the articular cartilage, which surrounds the main bones in the knee joint. The cells have stem cell-like properties and can be expanded in the laboratory to produce large quantities of cartilage.<\/p>\n
The cells could be used for allogenic cartilage replacement therapy, in which cells derived from donors are used to grow a tissue bank of cartilage that is stored and ready for insertion into patients with acute knee injuries, when and as needed. The technology promises a more cost-effective cell therapy than current autologous approaches, where cells are removed from a patient, expanded, and then returned to the patient. The successful development of a cartilage cell bank also could pave the way for treatment of degenerative cartilage damage such as that seen in osteoarthritis. “Although this is an early-stage project, an allogeneic approach has been described as the holy grail of cartilage repair,” says David Baynes, CEO of Fusion IP. “We believe that Professor Archer’s discovery may be the key. As such, it has the potential to revolutionize the way we treat acute knee injuries.”<\/p>\n