Manufacture And Testing Of Next Generation Orthopaedic Implants Harnessing Periosteum's Regenerative Power
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$508,314.00
Summary
Tissue defects, e.g. due to trauma or tumor removal, are too large to heal without reconstructive surgery. Complications associated with defect repair may diminish the patient's quality of life and productivity, posing significant medical and psychosocial costs. Here we propose a plan to define technical specifications for next generation, "smart" orthopaedic implants that deliver cells and the signals they need to build new tissue using nature's paradigms.
Cachexia is a major side effect of cancer, resulting in significant muscle wasting, fat loss and organ failure. Up to 80% of cancer patients suffer and 25% succumb to this condition. This significantly affects the treatment regimens of cancer patients and affects their quality of life. We have developed monoclonal antibodies that block and reverse cachexia in preclinical mouse cancer models. Our aims are to humanise the antibody and manufacture it for the first clinical trial in humans.
We have discovered a single tumour factor which causes cancer cachexia, a wasting condition that is one of the worst complications of malignancy, for which there is no current effective treatment. We have developed antibodies which effectively block this condition in preclinical models and have produced human/humanised version of this. This application is to characterise these human antibodies to allow us proceed to clinical trials.