WEST CHESTER, Pa., Oct. 05, 2012 -- (BUSINESS WIRE) -- A new approach to musculoskeletal care appears to be on the horizon with the recent formation of a company aiming to regenerate human bone and other skeletal tissue. The company, called SkelRegen, LLC (short for Skeletal Regeneration), has already identified several compounds that it believes could transform musculoskeletal care.
SkelRegen results from a collaboration between Scott D. Boden, MD, Chief Medical Officer at the Emory University Orthopaedic & Spine Hospital and Professor of Orthopaedics, Emory University School of Medicine and Stephen R. LaNeve, former President of a multi-billion dollar Spinal & Biologics division of a leading global medical device company.
A major challenge in orthopaedic surgery, trauma, and plastic surgery is dealing with damaged skeletal tissues (bone, cartilage, ligament, tendon). Current options are limited to biologically inactive space fillers or expensive recombinant proteins, peptides, and antibodies. The best possible solution to this challenge would be a less expensive small molecule capable of regenerating skeletal tissues using the body’s own mechanisms; and by using compounds with known acceptable safety and toxicity profiles, the company expects to greatly reduce the time and expense needed for commercialization.
SkelRegen is the first company to focus on newly identified small molecules that target different aspects of the skeletal tissue formation pathway. Several of its discoveries have been shown to be successful in blocking specific intracellular/extracellular inhibitors of BMPs, the key regulators of bone and soft tissue growth. Blocking the inhibitors of BMPs dramatically enhances the body’s own stem cells and growth factors that lead to regeneration of bone and soft tissue. Other discoveries also include molecules that can activate the BMP pathway directly.
Boden, SkelRegen’s Co-Founder and Chief Medical, Science & Technology Officer, says, “We discovered several small molecules that simply help the body’s own regeneration machinery do its job. We are basically building bone from scratch now, with the expectation of building cartilage and other soft tissue in the near future. This technology has broad application throughout the field of orthopaedics and holds promise for transforming musculoskeletal care.” Dr. Boden oversaw the research team led by Emory Orthopaedics researcher Sreedhara Sangadala, PhD, that discovered the molecules.
The company anticipates addressing the unique clinical and economic needs of several major market segments, including Spine, Trauma, Scaffold & Bone Void Filler, Soft Tissue Repair, and Osteoporosis.
LaNeve, SkelRegen’s Co-Founder and CEO, adds, “These compounds are inexpensive to manufacture and many have already been cleared by the FDA for other uses, which means they have acceptable safety and toxicity profiles. It’s very attractive from a development perspective.”
SkelRegen is the only company to have identified such compounds with all of these key attributes.
“We are very pleased to be able to commercialize this new technology,” says Todd Sherer, Executive Director of Emory's Office of Technology Transfer. “I look forward to the results of this partnership and its potential to improve the lives of patients with musculoskeletal disease and injury.”