Osteoarthritis – VJRegenMed

SCUlpTOR: CYP-004 in osteoarthritis

Simon Ng — Tue, 03 May 2022 16:17:06 +0000

Ross Macdonald, PhD, Cynata Therapeutics, Melbourne, Australia, discusses the Phase III SCUlpTOR trial (ACTRN12620000870954) assessing CYP-004, a novel mesenchymal stem cell (MSCs)-based cell therapy for patients with osteoarthritis. Whilst previous studies investigating autologous stem cell therapies have shown promise, there is an unmet need for curative therapies. The randomized double blind trial will assess the investigational therapy in 440 patients with degenerative osteoarthritis. The interview was conducted during Meeting on the Mediterranean 2022.

Exploring stem cell-based therapies in osteoarthritis

Simon Ng — Fri, 21 Jan 2022 11:14:51 +0000

Osteoarthritis (OA) is a chronic illness currently with no cure, and patients with OA often have comorbidities such as diabetes and cardiovascular diseases. Jiao Jiao Li, PhD, University of Technology Sydney, Sydney, Australia, provides an overview of the influence on stem cells in osteoarthritis and how stem cell-based therapies have not been effective in OA. Research investigating the interactions between mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) and arthritic cells revealed that MSCs had a short-term effect on arthritic cells, but arthritic cells induced inflammatory markers in MSCs and prevented them from differentiating into cartilage tissue. This interview took place at the 6th World Congress of the Tissue Engineering and Regenerative Medicine International Society (TERMIS 2021).

The role of bioactive ceramics in vascularized bone regeneration

Simon Ng — Mon, 17 Jan 2022 18:10:26 +0000

Jiao Jiao Li, PhD, University of Technology Sydney, Sydney, Australia, discusses research on regenerating vascularized bone with bioactive ceramics. Current challenges in the field include developing load-bearing scaffolds that can interact with bone cells and are porous. Therapies that encourage vascularization in the bone are necessary due to the metabolic demands of bones, and advances in 3D bioprinting have enabled research into bioactive ceramics. Nanoparticles additionally represent encouraging solutions to musculoskeletal conditions including osteoarthritis. This interview took place at the 6th World Congress of the Tissue Engineering and Regenerative Medicine International Society (TERMIS 2021).

The gene therapy landscape for osteoarthritis

admin_vjr_user — Thu, 12 Aug 2021 10:07:38 +0000

Christopher Evans, PhD, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, summarizes the current research landscape for gene therapy in osteoarthritis (OA) and the rationale behind the use of gene therapy to deliver genes encoding anti-arthritic products to the joint. Dr Evans highlights two ongoing Phase I studies involving vector-based gene delivery in OA and a Phase III study (NCT03203330) evaluating the ex vivo delivery of allogeneic chondrocytes transduced with transforming growth factor-beta 1 (TGF-β1) for the treatment of knee OA. Challenges in developing gene therapies for OA include cost, as well as reluctancy in the field around utilizing a gene therapy for a non-genetic condition. This interview took place during the American Society for Cell & Gene Therapy 24th Annual Meeting 2021.

The importance of clinical registries & biospecimen analysis in orthobiologics

admin_vjr_user — Thu, 05 Aug 2021 18:50:19 +0000

Nicolas Piuzzi, MD, Cleveland Clinic, Cleveland, OH, provides an overview of the current landscape of cellular therapies in orthopedics. Key evidence-based orthopedic cellular therapies currently being used in clinical practice include the treatment of avascular necrosis and osteoarthritis. Given current challenges around the reproducibility of orthopedic research, Dr Piuzzi proposes that in order to drive the translation of novel cell-based therapies to the clinic, more research involving large prospective cohorts and clinical registries is needed, in order to combine patient outcome data with biospecimen analysis. This interview took place during the International Society for Cell & Gene Therapy (ISCT) Annual Meeting 2021.

Off-the-shelf cell therapy for bone indications: ALLOB & JTA-004

admin_vjr_user — Thu, 24 Jun 2021 17:15:41 +0000

Miguel Forte, MD, PhD, Bone Therapeutics SA, Gosselies, Belgium describes ongoing research investigating allogeneic mesenchymal stromal cell (MSC)-derived osteoblastic cells (ALLOB) for the formation of bone in orthopedic conditions. The safety and efficacy of ALLOB has been tested in patients with degenerative disc disease (NCT02205138) and long bone fractures (NCT02020590), and its impact in tibial fractures is being evaluated in the ongoing Phase IIb ALLOB-TF2 trial (NCT04432389). Dr Forte also describes JTA-004, an intra-articular injectable currently being investigated in patients with knee osteoarthritis (NCT04333160), as well as plans to expand their MSC platform into immunomodulatory conditions. This interview took place during the International Society for Cell & Gene Therapy (ISCT) Annual Meeting 2021.

IL-1Ra gene therapy for knee OA: interim Phase I results

admin_vjr_user — Thu, 03 Jun 2021 16:50:52 +0000

Christopher Evans, PhD, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, describes interim results of an ongoing Phase I dose escalation study (NCT02790723) evaluating the safety and tolerability of an adeno-associated virus (AAV) vector encoding the human interleukin-1 receptor antagonist (IL-1Ra) in patients with knee osteoarthritis (OA). Nine patients with mid-stage OA that had not responded to conventional therapy received an intra-articular injection of the gene therapy vector into one knee and were followed up for one year. Results have demonstrated the safety and tolerability of the therapy, with only one adverse reaction of swelling following injection, which have prompted plans for a Phase II trial to evaluate therapeutic effect. This interview took place during the American Society for Cell & Gene Therapy 24th Annual Meeting 2021.