Locate Therapeutics Ltd, a Nottingham based specialist regenerative medicine company has been awarded a grant from the Healthcare and Bioscience iNet, a projectdelivered by Medilink East Midlands and part-funded by the European RegionalDevelopment Fund (ERDF), which will allow further development of their TAOS™ technology (Targeted, Orchestrated Signaling) – a world first in tissue repair.
Musculoskeletal diseases affect hundreds of millions of people worldwide and are a leading cause of chronic pain and disability. TAOS™ offers multiple medical applications in the field of advanced tissue repair, with potential benefits in treating spinal conditions such as curvature of the spine and the removal of slipped disks, alongside use in ‘hard to heal’ or nonunion fractures.
TAOS™ allows a regenerative, malleable biomaterial to be injected into the site of tissue damage, removing the need for complicated and invasive surgery. Once the treatment has been administered the material stimulates the body’s own repair process before degrading to naturally leave behind newly formed tissue. Theprocess is intended to reduce rehabilitation time and postoperative complications, ultimately improving the patient’s experience.
Locate Therapeutics required further laboratory research and specialist equipment to develop and fine-tune their biomaterials and surgical procedures, which has been supported by the grant.
Robin Quirk Co-founder of Locate Therapeutics commented:
“The Medilink funding will help us take our research to the next level. Having this equipment available within our laboratory removes a bottleneck in the development of TAOS.™ It will significantly increase the speed at which our scientists can test the stability of the polymeric materials we use, as well as determine the viscosity and setting times of the biomaterials generated – both essential pieces of information for a surgical team administering treatment to a patient.
We have three key projects starting over the next few months, and this will greatly help speed along the development process to clinical trials.”
Dr Neil Barnes, Innovation Adviser, MedilinkEast Midlands commented:
“Developing new technologies, processes and products is a key aim of the Healthcare andBioscience iNet initiative, and this is a prime example of how engaging with Medilink can help businesses achieve their aims.
The potential for further development in the field of biomaterials is huge, with associated cost savings for the NHS and benefits to patients who will have a faster recovery time and a much more simple and localized treatment.”
The versatility of the TAOS™technology means it can also be applied in orthopaedic medicine for precision delivery of antibiotics and drug delivery where controlled sustained release is required. TAOS™ technology is also applicable in numerous clinical disciplines including cardiology, neurology, orthopaedics, dentistry and reconstructive or cosmetic surgery.
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