Pet Remedy Tested For Humans

If it works on pets, why not try it on humans? That is what the manufacturer of BoneCure, an artificial membrane that speeds and simplifies bone re-growth in pets, is asking. BoneCure is a membrane rolled into a sleeve that encases the space where lost bone should grow and is anchored in place with bolts or sutures. According to RegeneCure Ltd, the Israeli company that developed it, it is the only solution of its kind on the market.

Karin Kloosterman , writing for the ISRAEL21c journal, reported that BoneCure’s thin membrane is made from the same artificial materials that are used to coat slow-release aspirin. The material is loaded with a positive charge and is designed to disintegrate over time. BoneCure is said to encourage new bone cells to “sit” on its surface. The sleeve is made in Israel in 150, 200 and 350 millimeters in thickness and comes as a sheet that can be cut to size.

RegeneCure Vice President Harry Langbeheim says that small perforations in the material allow growth factors to pass in and out of the area where the bone should grow and also prevents unwanted tissue from entering the future bone zone.

Complete instructions on how to set it in place are available on the company website, meaning that no complicated tutorials or training sessions are needed, said Langbeheim, who earned a Ph.D. in immunology from Israel’s Weizmann Institute of Science.

Dr. Itamar Tsur, an Israeli veterinarian, has used the technology in five dogs and a few cats. The product, he says, “seems to do the job without a second operation. “This is in contrast to the standard procedure of taking a bone graft from the pet’s buttocks area, which means another operation, more pain and more cost.

Tsur says the regenerating membrane product could aid in cases where broken bones are not knitting as they should. “This membrane draws in the stem cells with its positive charge on the membrane of this medical device, and reboots this process, ” Tsur says.

Langbeheim says his company’s solution can create accelerated bone growth 43% faster than without it, and the company is working on a yet-to-be-named product to help accelerate bone re-growth in humans. The cost for the human market will range from $200 to $500 per sheet of material, much less than an allograph.

RegeneCure is targeting the orthopedics markets and is starting clinical trials in orthopedics at Hadassah and at Leeds General Infirmary Hospital in England, a clinic that specializes in guided bone regeneration.