Cells for Cells’ stem cell therapy for the treatment of Focal Cartilage Lesions (FCLs, a.k.a. Focal Chondral Defects) consists of a subpopulation of proprietary umbilical cord tissue mesenchymal stem cells (UC-MSCs, Cellistem®) incorporated within a Platelet Poor Plasma (PPP) scaffold.
Biomaterial-Stem Cell therapy for Osteochondral Lesions
1,603
Million USD, Global Cartilage Repair Market by 2025
15.3
CAGR for the 2020-2025 period
20-40
years old males primarily affected by osteochondral lesions of the talus
“Today, the vast majority of clinical reports of the use of stem cells for treating osteochondral lesions of the talus are not controlled. We want to provide scientific information that is solid and relevant so that physicians and patients can make increasingly informed decisions, which is the most important thing for this type of therapy to be validated”.
Dr. Manuel Pellegrini, Traumatologist and leader of the clinical study
A burdensome condition affecting young people’s daily life.
Osteochondral lesions of the talus (OLT) affect the ankle cartilage, which seems to have less repair capacity than other joints, such as the knee of the hip. OLTs can be a great source of pain and affects comparatively younger, working-age, and athletically active patients. Although several therapeutic strategies exist, debridement and microfractures performed arthroscopically are the most frequent procedures. After this surgery, a fibrocartilage layer is expected to form that covers the osteochondral lesion. Though good results have been reported, this fibrocartilage presents histological characteristics of lower quality than native articular cartilage. To increase the treatment´s success rate, Cells for Cells, in collaboration with ankle and foot orthopedic surgeons from Clínica Universidad de los Andes, are conducting a pioneering clinical study applying stem cells to reconstruct OTLs.
A pioneering controlled study assessing MSC efficacy in the talus.
Previous studies in different joints described good clinical outcomes in patients with cartilage lesions following mesenchymal stem cell treatment. However, most of these reports were not controlled, particularly those reporting cases with OTLs. For this reason, Cells for Cells and Clínica Universidad de los Andes designed a 70-patient randomized, multicentric, prospective, double-blind study to assess the therapeutic benefit of adding UC-MSCs embedded in a biomatrix during the traditional surgical procedure. Thus, this innovatively-designed study will provide both patients and physicians with definitive answers about whether stem cells produce better clinical and imaging results than standard treatment with debridement and microfractures alone.
