Medical Technologies IKC | 18
WIDENING OUR IMPACT
Biomimetic scaffold
for cartilage repair
Plans are underway
for a ‘first in man’
clinical trial of a
biomimetic PLGAtitanium scaffold
which aims to repair
large osteochondral
defects before they
cause osteoarthritis.
The scaffold is being developed
by a team from UCL and the Royal
National Orthopaedic Hospital, in
collaboration with Oxford MEStar
Ltd and Collagen Solutions Plc.
Early observations from an
in vivo sheep condyle model show
that the sheep recover well and
long-term performance is being
monitored. The scaffold was also
used in a clinical dog shoulder
model, in an operation performed
by Channel 4’s ‘SuperVet’,
Professor Noel Fitzpatrick.
Post-operative scan results
demonstrated that the scaffold has
both the strength needed to bear
the physical load of the joints and
encourages consistent cartilage fill
and a smooth articular surface.
The team is assessing the
pre-clinical performance of the
scaffold using human tissue
from patients undergoing joint
replacement surgery and is
preparing for clinical trials that
will take place at Royal National
Orthopaedic Hospital in Stanmore.
“We’re very happy with progress
to date and we’re confident the
scaffold has the potential to
address this unmet clinical need,”
says UCL’s Dr Chaozong Liu, who
leads the project.
Arthroscopic device to identify
early osteoarthritis Dr Jayesh Dudhia, from
the Royal Veterinary
College, together with
chemists Professor
Paul McMillan and
Dr Steve Firth from
UCL, are progressing a
prototype arthroscopic
device for surgeons to
identify the early stages
of osteoarthritis in
articulating joints.
The device uses Raman spectroscopy
and incorporates an optical probe
to detect a known biomarker of
subclinical cartilage degeneration to
inform treatment decisions in real time.
An early design was successfully tested
in four patients undergoing minimally
invasive knee assessment.
“For knee surgery, surgeons frequently
perform partial replacements but these
sometimes require revision surgery
because it’s difficult to visually identify
subclinical disease elsewhere in the
joint,” says Dr Dudhia.
“Our probe will help to make the right
decision first time, which would be
better for the patient and prevent the
need for remedial surgery.”
Proof of concept funding has
progressed validation of the technology
and the team is in discussions with
a UK SME whose expertise could
significantly amplify the true signal
from the background noise to produce
a simple, quantifiable signature which
can be translated into a ‘traffic light’
system.
The team is also discussing
commercial development with a further
UK SME with specialist manufacturing
knowledge of orthopaedic devices.