Smith & Nephew to Develop Cartilage Regeneration Product with Nanotope
BY LAUREN UZDIENSKI, OCTOBER 19, 2010
Nanotope, Inc., a portfolio company of Arrowhead Research Corporation, has entered into an agreement with Smith & Nephew to develop a cartilage regeneration product. The press release states that Smith & Nephew will conduct and pay for preclinical and clinical studies. Nanotope will also receive up to $26.6 million in milestone payments, plus additional royalties. It will be the company's first commercial transaction.
Nanotope describes their technology as "injectable compounds that work with surviving cells in and around the point of damage to initiate and support tissue regeneration and growth." The compounds consist of a chemical matrix or gel of nanofibers, called peptide amphiphiles, that bind with growth factors to repair and regenerate cartilage. This matrix then biodegrades into nutrients and is replaced by natural cartilage. A small animal study conducted at Northwestern and supported by Nanotope found that the gel formulation with microfracture achieved better healing than microfracture alone.
In addition to cartilage, Nanotope says their technology has neuronal, vascular, bone and myocardial applications.
