Cartilage and bone defects in joints resulting from injury or degeneration are a major clinical and scientific problem and result in significant healthcare costs. In recent years, the importance of cell therapies using mesenchymal stromal/stem cells (MSC) for the treatment of orthopaedic disorders has greatly increased. Cell therapies can substitute or postpone other more invasive or less effective treatments (such as joint replacement by a prosthetic implant).
Both autologous and allogeneic cells have been administered to patients.
AdipoART is a proprietary solution for obtaining large numbers of stromal vascular fraction (SVF) cells from lipoaspirate. The isolation process takes approximately one hour and results in 1–4 x 10^6 MSC in a cell suspension ready for implantation (e.g., intra-articular injection, infusion). The administered cells are expected to reduce inflammation and pain and contribute to the regeneration of injured tissue.
Applications: Osteoarthritis: For the treatment of focal chondral and osteochondral lesions or osteoarthritis, AdipoART is administered by intra-articular injection.
ChondroART is GaiaCell’s first cell therapy product that uses an autologous chondrocyte suspension to treat cartilage lesions. Through years of continuous development, the ChondroART product has evolved and improved in terms of treatment efficiency and application technique. The 4th generation product called ChondroART MSC utilises mesenchymal stem cells for the treatment of osteochondral lesions. The cells are prepared in a closed column separation system. The cell suspension is applied to a biomimetic cell scaffold and implanted into a cartilage lesion. To date, over 500 patients have been treated with ChondroART products.
Applications: Orthopaedics: The ChondroART MSC product is applied as a fraction of mesenchymal stem cells in combination with a biomimetic scaffold that allows the fixation of the implanted cells at the site of the chondral/osteochondral lesion. Implantation of the cell preparation requires a mini-arthrotomy.
DiscART is our pipeline project based on autologous elastic chondrocytes for the treatment of degenerative disc disease. Disc degeneration is an inevitable process of ageing and a major cause of low back pain. The preclinical study included six New Zealand white rabbits and 16 lumbar intervertebral discs (IVD) that were examined histologically 6 months after treatment. The results of the study showed that in vitro expanded autologous chondrocytes were able to survive and synthesise cartilage matrix within the IVD in place of the removed nucleus pulposus.
Applications: Orthopaedics: Treatment of degenerative disc disease.
