Project title: BIODEGRADABLE IMPLANT FOR REGENERATION OF ARTICULAR CARTILAGE IN DAMAGED KNEES

Company name : CHONDROSITE LTD.

TECHNOLOGICAL FIELD
Tissue engineering

KEY WORDS
Cartilage, Tissue
Engineering, Medical Device, Orthobiologics, Orthopaedics,
Medicine, Biodegradable Polymers

PROJECT SUMMARY
ChondroSite is an orthobiological company aimed at developing
biodegradable implants used to regenerate cartilage at damaged
knees. The technology focuses at imitating the natural process of
cartilage growth that occurs at embryonic development, using
material science and biology of cells and tissues. ChondroSite is
poised to address the standard lacking treatment for patients
with damaged cartilage as other orthobiological companies have
done in bone defects.

The Product is novel, effective and simple to apply. A
biodegradable implant composed of bone marrow from the patient,
mixed with a biological and material scaffold, is applied in a
minimally invasive fashion (arthroscopy) to the damaged knee. The
implant allows cartilage to regenerate as the polymeric component
of the implant gradually biodegrades.

Applications: Pain, discomfort and disability due to damaged
articular cartilage in knees lack satisfying treatment solutions.
Cartilage, not like bone, does not naturally heal itself. Each
year approximately half a million patients worldwide are
diagnosed with locally defined damage to articular cartilage in
the knee with exposure of the bone surface beneath the cartilage
(Outerbridge grade IV injuries) due to sport injuries and focal
osteoarthritis. The number of less severe cases, which also
entail pain and disability, is twice as large.

ADVANTAGES
* Already proven successful at creating hyaline cartilage in
small and large animals (current techniques to date failed to
regenerate cartilage).
* Easy to apply - Trough arthroscopy, no need for a patch.
* Natural - Artificial component (polymer) biodegrades leaving
natural hyaline cartilage.
* Novel - A novel combination of biological components and a
unique polymeric scaffold.

ENTREPRENEURS
Prof. Shimon Slavin - MD, Ph.D., Director of
cell and tissue science. Head of The Department of bone marrow
transplantation at Hadassah Ein Kerem University Hospital.
Mr. Gilad Lorberbaum - MBA, CEO; former CEO of
NanoCyte Inc, and senior manager at Teva Pharmaceuticals.
Dr. Dror Robinson - MD, Ph.D., Medical
Director. Head of the Department of Orthopedics at Hasharon
hospital, Petah Tikva.
Prof. Daniel Cohn - Director of polymer
science. Head of the Casali Institute of Applied Chemistry in the
Hebrew University of Jerusalem.
Glenrock Israel - Leon Recanati's
Investment company.

PROJECT STATUS
The project started its incubator period on January 2005.
* RTG polymer synthesis is consistent and the polymer is stable
at 4?C.
* Current lab scale production is 18-20g (powder), per synthesis
cycle.
* Initial degradation kinetic study showed a 3-week transition
from gel to liquid
* Sterilization procedure: Steam sterilization and Vacuum
sterilization at 4?C.
* Histology assays for detection of implant osteochondral
properties
* Rat study (n=40); 27% improvement in articular cartilage
regeneration over control - histology scoring, CFU assay (5,
weeks)
* Sheep study (n=18); 15% improvement in articular cartilage
regeneration over micro fracture procedure - histology scoring
(12 weeks)

COOPERATION REQUIRED
The company is considering licensing out the polymer synthesis
know-how.
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TEL: 972-9-9701836 FAX: 972-8-6231246 E-MAIL: assafo@grg.co.il

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