Manchester, New Hampshire – Individuals suffering from a torn rotator cuff are one step closer to having a regenerative solution with the National Institute of Health’s $1.8 million award to PRO Therapeutics (PRO-T). This Direct-to-Phase-2 Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) grant will provide PRO-T with the funding needed to conduct pre-clinical studies on their tissue-engineered graft. This would be the first fully-automated manufactured tissue used to repair soft tissue injuries in humans.
With nearly 60% of adults over the age of 50 suffering from a torn rotator cuff and facing a 30-90% re-tear rate post-surgery, the patient’s quality of life can be severely impacted. A better solution for the current standard of care is long overdue and critically needed.
“Our technology, from the laboratories of Drs. Lisa M. Larkin and Ellen M. Arruda at the University of Michigan, showed the regeneration of native-like tissue between the bone and tendon in large animal studies,” shared Julie Lenzer, CEO of PRO-T. “Returning a patient’s shoulder to its native mechanical function is not an option with current techniques. The success of this product will also pave the way for other engineered soft tissue therapies in our pipeline.”
PRO-T is a member of BioFabUSA, a program of the Advanced Regenerative Manufacturing Institute (ARMI), and has co-located its lab with ARMI’s biofabfoundries in the Manchester Millyard. As an inaugural member of ARMI’s BioFab Startup Lab, the company will work closely with ARMI’s scientists and engineers to optimize the fabrication of the product in preparation for submitting its first Investigational New Drug (IND) application to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in order to begin clinical trials.
“Having worked with ARMI | BioFabUSA for several years,” notes inventor and PRO-T Chief Scientific Officer Dr. Lisa Larkin, “I’m confident that combining PRO Therapeutics’ science with ARMI’s process development and engineering expertise will provide a solid and scalable foundation for moving our products from the lab to meet the needs of patients.”
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About PRO Therapeutics: PRO Therapeutics LLC is a regenerative medicine company based in Manchester, NH focused on the development and commercialization of solutions for soft tissue repair. Their ground-breaking approach stimulates the body’s healing potential to regenerate tendon, ligament, and muscle for repair of soft tissue injuries.
For more information about PRO Therapeutics or to sign up to receive updates on the company’s progress, visit http://pro-thera.com or email info@pro-thera.com.
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About ARMI|BioFabUSA: ARMI | BioFabUSA is a public-private partnership established by the US Department of Defense in 2016 to bring together a diverse group of stakeholders to accelerate the development of the next generation of tissue engineering and regenerative medicine technologies. The organization’s ecosystem includes nearly 200 member organizations spanning academia, industry, government, and non-profit sectors.
For more information about ARMI|BioFabUSA, visit http://armiusa.org
Contact: ARMI|BioFabUSA
Stefany Shaheen
Chief Strategy and Communications Officer
sshaheen@armiusa.org
