RepRegen's Strontium-based bioactive glass platform encourages osteoblast cell activity and proliferation

Mar 9 2010

RepRegen™, the ‘smart biomaterials’ company previously known as BioCeramic Therapeutics, announced today that data from an in vitro study has demonstrated that its patented Strontium-based bioactive glass platform promotes osteoblast cell activity and proliferation. If in vivo studies, which are currently underway, demonstrate similar results, then RepRegen believes its platform has the potential to significantly improve the repair and regeneration of hard-tissue, such as bone. The in vitro study was presented yesterday in a science session during the 56th Annual Meeting of the Orthopaedic Research Society (ORS) by Matthew O’Donnell, Ph.D., R&D Manager for RepRegen.

“RepRegen’s business model is quite different from many medical technology companies that rely exclusively on just one product”

The Company’s hard-tissue platform is based on ‘smart’ bioceramics designed to be used, initially, by orthopaedic product manufacturers and surgeons. A major RepRegen materials science innovation is the use of Strontium, which boosts the performance of the bioceramics. The in vitro study demonstrated that Strontium has “a clear positive effect on bone cell activity and mineralisation.” Strontium can be added to bioactive glass in place of, and in combination with, Calcium, thereby improving biological properties but “with minimal alteration of the physical properties of the glass.”

“The addition of Strontium boosts the performance of our hard-tissue platform,” explained Molly Stevens, Ph.D., RepRegen’s Chief Scientific Officer. Dr. Stevens also is Professor of Biomedical Materials and Regenerative Medicine and Research Director for Biomedical Material Sciences at the Institute of Biomedical Engineering and the Department of Materials, Imperial College London. “Replacing broken or worn-out body parts are not new ideas, of course. But our ‘smart’ biomaterials are designed to enhance the cellular growth properties of tissue and also catalyze better and faster healing,” added Dr. Stevens, who joined Imperial College London in 2004 after postdoctoral training in the field of tissue engineering with Professor Robert Langer in the Chemical Engineering Department of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).

Bioceramics have been helping improve the quality of life for millions of people over the past several decades. Now, London-based RepRegen, a spin-out from the Imperial Innovations incubator at Imperial College London, has developed ‘smart’ bioceramic materials with Strontium. This invention has enabled the Company to develop novel products designed with performance characteristics that yield competitive advantages.

“The first market to be targeted by RepRegen is orthopaedic. The global market for the orthopaedic biomaterials sector was $4 billion in 2006 and is expected to more than double by 2012 to $8.8 billion. Of particular interest to us is the fact that this sector, while huge, is also fragmented, thus offering RepRegen many sales and out-licensing opportunities based on various applications of our ‘smart biomaterials’ platforms,” said Ian Brown, RepRegen’s CEO.

“RepRegen’s business model is quite different from many medical technology companies that rely exclusively on just one product,” said RepRegen’s Chairman, Dr. Stephen Rietiker. “Companies like RepRegen that are fortunate enough to have numerous product opportunities—in fact, RepRegen has two platforms, one focused on hard-tissue such as bone and the other on soft-tissue such as cartilage—have a choice between out-licensing or sale of their technologies on the one hand, and taking a product to market themselves on the other. Of course, some choose both options, which is RepRegen’s strategy. This is an attractive business model, similar to the drug discovery sector of Big Pharma, where early revenues serve as commercial validation of product opportunities.”