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[March 2006]
Orthovita and Aastrom Biosciences Announce Collaboration Agreement, Including Synthetic Ceramic, for Orthopaedic Products
Aastrom Biosciences Inc (Ann Arbor, MI, USA) and Orthovita Inc (Malvern, PA, USA) jointly announced on 20 March 2006 that they had signed an agreement to develop products for the orthopaedics market using Orthovita's synthetic ceramic matrices and ceramic-collagen matrices (VITOSS) and Aastrom's proprietary bone marrow-derived cells - Tissue Repair Cells (TRCs). The companies said they anticipated that negotiations and planning for the expansion of this collaboration into a longer-term relationship would be finalised during calendar year 2006.The companies believe that a broad range of orthopaedic indications will benefit from the combination of VITOSS and TRCs to regenerate tissue. Orthovita's VITOSS scaffolds are marketed specifically for the purpose of providing non-load bearing geometric support during new tissue growth. Aastrom's TRCs, a mixture of stem, stromal and progenitor cells produced from the patient's own bone marrow, are being used in Phase I/II clinical trials which are evaluating the regeneration of new bone and blood vessels in patients.
"We are pleased to enter into this alliance with Orthovita because of their valuable knowledge and established expertise in the orthopedic industry," said Dr Douglas Armstrong, Chief Executive Officer and Chairman of Aastrom. "Orthovita is a proven leader in the development of implantable materials that are compatible with human cells, and has established strong relationships within the orthopedic community. We believe that this collaboration will greatly strengthen the market opportunities for our TRC products."
"Aastrom is a recognized leader in the development of clinic-ready autologous bone marrow-derived stem cell technology," said Antony Koblish, President and Chief Executive Officer of Orthovita. "Partnering with Aastrom is the next logical step for Orthovita given our extensive work with VITOSS and autologous bone marrow in the clinic. Autologous TRCs and VITOSS are two clinic-ready technologies that potentially represent a major step toward the future for combinations of autologous bone marrow-derived stem cell and biomaterial driven therapies for orthopedic and spine treatments."
The first phase of this collaboration is already underway, with Orthovita's VITOSS scaffolds being used for patient treatment in Aastrom's Phase I/II clinical trial in Barcelona, Spain for severe non-union fractures. As part of the collaboration agreement, the companies are exploring additional clinical indications that could benefit from the combination of TRCs and VITOSS.
Additional terms of this collaboration were not disclosed.
www.aastrom.com.
www.orthovita.com
ENDS