How much starch do you want on that graft?
Starch-Based Soft Tissue Regeneration Company Raises Funds
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That’s a question an orthopedic surgeon might ask in the future because Soft Tissue Regeneration, Inc. (STR), the New Haven, Connecticut-based clinical stage company working on soft tissue regeneration devices using corn starch, has almost reached it’s $5 million funding round goal.
So far, according to MassDevice, they’ve raised $4.7 million from 14 unnamed investors listed in regulatory filings.
ACL Regeneration
The company has developed and tested what it calls a “breakthrough” technology for soft tissue regeneration of the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) of the knee. This patented and proprietary technology, using a clinically proven polymer called poly(L-lactide) acid (PLLA—which is derived from renewable sources such as corn starch), is already used in biomedical devices, can allow STR to address an unmet clinical need in the repair of musculoskeletal soft tissue injuries. The product is called the L-C Ligament. It is a synthetic bioresorbable scaffold that is designed to stabilize the knee and encourage the regeneration of ligament tissue and may result in faster, better healing and greater odds of making a full recovery.
FDA Cleared Rotator Cuff Repair
The company has also developed a soft tissue augmentation device for rotator cuff repair called the STR GRAFT. In November 2012, the company received 510(k) clearance to market the graft for soft tissue augmentation and rotator cuff repair in the U.S.
The company is also developing a three-dimensional braided surgical mesh for breast reconstruction and hernia repair.
“There are several products available to augment rotator cuff repair, but they suffer from strength, suture pull-through and surgical deployment issues, all of which the STR graft addresses, ” founder and the device developer Cato Laurencin, M.D., Ph.D., said in prepared remarks.
STR was founded in 2008 by Laurencin and Joseph W. Reilly.
Scientific Heavyweights
Laurencin, who serves as a consultant to the company, is CEO of the Connecticut Institute for Clinical and Translational Science, director of the Institute for Regenerative Engineering and the Van Dusen Endowed Chair in Orthopaedic Surgery.
He previously served as the UConn Health Center’s Vice President for Health Affairs and Dean of the UConn School of Medicine. Prior to his arrival at the UConn Health Center, he was the Lillian T. Pratt Distinguished Professor and Chair of the Department of Orthopaedic Surgery at the University of Virginia, as well as the Orthopaedic Surgeon-in-Chief at the University of Virginia Health System. In addition, he was designated as a University Professor at the University of Virginia, and held professorships in Biomedical Engineering and Chemical Engineering.
The company’s scientific advisory board includes, Kenneth Alleyen, M.D., Robert Arciero, M.D., James Andrews, M.D., and Robert Stanton, M.D.
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This is a fascinating development. In my practice we've seen similar outcomes with the revised protocol. The key differentiator seems to be patient selection criteria. Has anyone else noticed the correlation with BMI thresholds?
Great point. I'd push back slightly on the conclusion, the sample size in the cited study is too small to draw population-level inferences. That said, the directional signal is compelling and worth a larger RCT.
We implemented a similar approach last year. Early results are promising but we're still gathering 12-month follow-up data. Happy to share our protocol if anyone is interested.
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