across canada
NOVEL APPROACHES TO
CARTILAGE REGENERATION:
the future of joint repair
The arthroscopic images taken during a BST-CarGel surgery. The original lesion before BST-CarGel treatment.
The delivery of BST-CarGel in a cartilage lesion. The repaired lesion at the 13-month 2nd look arthroscopy.
Special to Biotechnology Focus
Osteoarthritis, a form of arthritis which occurs when cartilage becomes damaged or is worn away, is the most common kind of arthritis, affects one in eight Canadians and occurs as a result of physical trauma or excessive wear and tear which can cause chronic and debilitating pain.
C
artilage is a tissue in the body which provides structure and support to the body’s other tissues. In the knees and other joints, it is found at the end of bone where it provides a cushioning effect and helps joints to articulate smoothly. Once damaged, cartilage cannot heal on its own, and yet, if it is not treated, it can lead to arthritis or even total joint replacement. Repairing damaged cartilage is one way to slow down or prevent knee joints from developing osteoarthritis – but the body does not do this well on its own, and even
less so as we age. Despite the daunting hurdle, a group of Canadian scientists were inspired over 12 years ago to work together to address the challenge of repairing cartilage. The team of multi-disciplinary researchers led by Dr. Caroline Hoemann and Dr. Michael Buschmann from École Polytechnique in Montréal, in collaboration with the company BioSyntech (now Piramal Life Sciences�Bio-Orthopaedics Division), developed an entirely new therapy that uses biopolymer technology for enhancing cartilage regeneration which is already being marketed in Europe and also undergoing
further study to expand its potential use. The technology itself is simple: an implant, made of a chitosan solution and buffer, is mixed with autologous blood and applied to lesions. What makes it unique is that this combination stimulates the body to regenerate its own cartilage, and may indeed be pioneering an entirely new way to treat damaged joints.
Nurturing talent and collaboration: the key to discovery “As a senior scientist making the transition April/May 2014 BIOTECHNOLOGY FOCUS 19
