Amedrix GmbH, a German biotechnology company, has developed a one-step minimally invasive surgical procedure for the treatment of cartilage defects using cell-free collagen implants, with comparable good autoregeneration of the cartilage defects. According to a news release from the Fraunhofer Institute for Interfacial Engineering and Biotechnology IGB, the company’s first gel-like implant was approved for the European market in 2012. In December 2013, a further development of the product, which was a liquid application form, received European CE certification to ensure the implant is safe and medically technically efficient.

The Fraunhofer Institute news release notes that after injection, cartilage and stem cells from the surrounding tissue migrate into the implant and stimulate the self-healing of the cartilage. Within a short time, the result is new, resilient cartilage. Thomas Graeve, PhD, CEO of Amedrix, explains, “Our new product is arthroscopically injected as a liquid collagen implant. Once injected, the liquid collagen forms a stable cartilage replacement in minutes. Patient MRI studies show that the cartilage defect is nearly completely filled after 6 months.”

In order to optimize the purification and manufacturing process according to current legal regulations, Amedrix cooperates with the Fraunhofer Institute for Interfacial Engineering and Biotechnology IGB, as indicated on the Fraunhofer Institute news release. The institute supports a 215-square-meter Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP) unit certified for developing production processes for medical devices or cell-based tissue-engineered products.

Markus Schandar, head of the GMP Group, says, “Our specially trained staff work together with Amedrix employees to isolate collagen protein from animal tendons and then process the collagen in the IGB clean rooms.”

Photo Appears Courtesy of Fraunhofer Institute for Interfacial Engineering and Biotechnology IGB

[Source: Fraunhofer Institute for Interfacial Engineering and Biotechnology IGB]