Future Products
The immediate priority of the company is to get the Matrix into the hands of cancer researchers so they can devise protocols for its use to fight leukemia and other cancers. But optimizing the treatment of cancer is just one of many uses of the Sanatela Matrix. Because it’s made of Wharton’s Jelly, the Matrix has properties that make it perfect for many applications in regenerative medicine.
“The Matrix is made of tissue that is of human origin,” says Matrix co-inventor Dr. Hani Awad. “Not only is it biological, not only does it contain extracellular matrix proteins like collagen and hyaluronic acid, which is the backbone of many of the connective tissues in our bodies, but it is also replete with growth factors because it is derived from live birth umbilical cord tissue. So it carries a lot of promise in terms of its ability to regenerate tissues.”
Burn and Wound Care
The company is developing a wound dressing made from the Matrix material that can be applied to an open wound or a burn. Because the Matrix material is porous and made of natural biological tissue, we believe that if it is applied as a wound or burn dressing it would never need to be removed. We are seeking researchers and clinicians to perform the studies to determine whether the Matrix would drive the endogenous cells to differentiate into the different layers of skin and cover the burned or injured area.
Because it is derived from umbilical cord tissue and completely decellularized, it should not invoke any immune response from the body. Over time it should degrade through natural biological processes and break down into its essential components. Potentially, dressing a wound or burn with the Matrix could help the body regenerate tissue without leaving a scar.
Bone Regeneration
One of the most significant needs in orthopedic surgery is the ability to regenerate massive wounds in bone. These situations are not infrequent, and pose enormous challenges. For example, fibrous tissue can grow between the broken ends of a bone, preventing them from fusing. When a cancer or infection is removed from a bone it can leave a gap of a few centimeters that will never be able to regenerate on its own. Then there are the traumatic scenarios like explosions where the tissue is obliterated and the orthopedist will never be able to piece it back together again.
Today when a patient suffers a massive bone injury, options are limited. Doctors use allograft tissue made of bone procured from deceased donors, but these allograft bones have a limited survival rate. They are not living tissue and are not able to continuously repair the micro damage that accumulates through the daily demands of physical activity. After about seven years, half of them will have fractured again and will need to be removed and replaced.
We believe that future studies could potentially show that our biologically derived Matrix, when designed to stimulate the body’s endogenous cells to proliferate, will form a regenerative scaffold that can be used to fill a fracture or defect with viable tissue that eventually mineralizes and becomes living bone. It will integrate with the host bone to form a mechanically stable repair, one that is alive and can remodel itself to repair micro damages.
Research Needs
More research is needed to prove that the Matrix can be used for wound and burn repair as well as bone regeneration. Sanatela is seeking a research investment of $2 million to do the basic research needed. If you want to test the Matrix in your lab, or sponsor our on-going research efforts, please contact us today at info@sanatelamedical.com.
Research Grade Products
Here are some of the ancillary Matrix products in our pipeline:
- Viable Wharton’s Jelly Tissue
- Wharton’s Jelly Stem Cells
- Culture Media & Supplements
- Decellularized Wharton’s Jelly Felts/Foam/Matrix
- For regenerative applications in vitro/in vivo
- Antifibrotic
- Tendon
- Cartilage
- Mineralized Matrix for Bone
- Regenerative Hemostat
- Cutaneous wound dressing
- Stem Cell 3D Niche
Clinical Products
- Wound dressing
- Hair growth
- Bone Void Filler