Biomedical Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
The core principle of the procedure involves using stem cells collected
from a small sample of fat tissue obtained from the individual
undergoing treatment. The fat stem cells are then isolated from the
sample and processed for direct injection into the joint. Patents are
pending in Australia and Europe on the processing and application
procedures for the fat stem cell procedure for a range of inflammatory
conditions.
Stories about Regeneus describe how the founders of the company
almost stumbled into the area of stem cell medicine by accident. A
report from
Australian Life Scientist
,
for example, describes how two
of the founders were highly successful in another area of research
involving proteins, but when faced with the problem of where to
obtain large samples of tissue to study, a colleague suggested that fat
from liposuction was the easiest source (McDonald, 2009). The next
strange happenstance occurred when discussions with a local vet and
another colleague over treatments for dogs with osteoarthritis ended in
a collaborative agreement to start using the procedure outlined above
for free on local dogs as an alternative to putting the animals down
(McDonald, 2009). The company was established in 2007 and in early
2008 the treatment on dogs began. The results showed improved
mobility and quality of life as reported by the dogs' owners, with long-
term follow-up showing further increases in these two measures.
Regeneus' commercial model is based on providing a fee-based
service to patients with two components: veterinary clinic services
and laboratory processing services. One of the key features of
Regeneus' treatment procedure is that there is very little delay
between extraction and injection. A step-by-step guide to the
procedure found on Regeneus' website says that the processing of
the extracted fat tissue only takes one hour and is done by an
accredited specialist (
http://www.regeneus.com
). Through building
relationships with partner veterinarians, Regeneus are able to
provide training in the processing procedure for the fat stem cells,
while the veterinarian provides the clinical services involved in
treating the animal. Presumably as the human clinical application
develops a similar process would be adopted.
Regeneus filed a patent application with the World Intellectual
Property Organization (WIPO) in 2009 with the title 'Therapeutic
