U.K.-based Tissue Regenix Group said it established a subsidiary company in the U.S. to further commercialize its dCELL® decellularized tissue scaffold technology platform, now approved for use in Europe.

dCELL—short for “decellularization”—removes DNA and other cellular material from animal and human tissue, leaving a tissue scaffold that is acellular and thus unlikely to be rejected by the patient’s body, and usable for repairing diseased or worn-out body parts. The new U.S. subsidiary will pursue Tissue Regenix’ strategy of applying dCELL toward chronic diseases, with the long-term goal of developing dCELL for other applications including vascular repair, heart valve replacement, and knee repair.

“The United States presents an opportunity to establish our platform dCELL technology in a market potentially worth hundreds of millions of dollars,” Antony Odell, managing director of Tissue Regenix, said in a statement.

Tissue Regenix commercializes academic research by partners. The company was spun out of the University of Leeds in 2006. In June, a preclinical study published in PLoS ONE concluded that dCELL can deliver enhanced cell repopulation compared to the bovine-derived cell-matrix Vascu-Guard. The study was led by Alan Dardik, M.D., Ph.D., FACS, associate professor of surgery (vascular) at Yale University and chief, peripheral vascular surgery, with the VA Connecticut Healthcare Systems.

Two months later, results announced by the company from a two-year clinical study of the dCELL vascular patch in 21 patients concluded that it was safe and effective for vascular surgery. The patients had a history of prior peripheral vascular disease and required surgery to remove a blood vessel blockage to restore blood flow and reduce the likelihood of further complications including possible amputation.

Tissue Regenix also announced its appointment of Greg Bila as president of the subsidiary, Tissue Regenix USA. Bila previously held a number of sales and marketing positions with Kinetic Concepts, and has more than 20 years’ experience in the pharmaceutical and medical device fields.

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