Highlighting the latest research, technology developments and innovations taking place in orthobiologics and regenerative medicine at ICRS 2022

This year the International Cartilage Regenerative & Joint Preservation Society (ICRS) hosted its 16th World Congress in Berlin, Germany, and SmartTRAK covered it. This was the Society’s first in-person meeting since October 2019, and without a doubt, a very exciting moment for ICRS, its members and all who attended the event. For four days, industry stakeholders from around the world converged in Berlin to learn and hear about the latest research, technology developments and innovations taking place in orthobiologics and regenerative medicine. In this article, SmartTRAK gives a recap of some of the main topics presented during the meeting.

Among the many fascinating topics covered in the complete article, which can be downloaded here, are:

• The Role of Extracellular Vesicles 
• Use of Minced Cartilage
• Autologous, Matrix-induced Chondrogenesis 
• Feasibility of Gene Therapy
• Other Therapies of Tomorrow

Observations and analysis from the 37th Annual North American Spine Society (NASS) Meeting held October 12-14 in Chicago, IL. 

SmartTRAK highlights the top news and themes at NASS 2022 affecting the markets for OrthoBio and Regenerative Medicine, including the Orthofix/SeaSpine  merger, the ongoing controversy surrounding BMP-2, new product launches, company growth strategies and the latest research and innovation in intradiscal therapies.

Among the many topics covered in detail in this article are:

• A Spine Merger That Will Significantly Impact The Orthobiologics Landscape
• BMP-2 Safety Profile Remains an Open Issue
• Incremental Product Improvement Across OrthoBio Categories
• Spine Strategic Portfolio Strategies
• Intradiscal Treatments Take Center Stage

Undoubtedly, the proposed business combination of Orthofix and SeaSpine announced immediately prior to NASS was the most impactful news emanating from the meeting. On a proforma basis, the combined company is expected to generate approximately ...

To download and read the complete "OrthoBio-Focused Themes Emerging from NASS 2022" article by James Petricek,  SmartTRAK's GM, OrthoBio and Regenerative Medicine, just click the button below.

Mr J. David Owens, President & CEO of BiologicsMD, and Chief Scientific Officer, Dr. Robyn Goforth, discuss the Company’s highly-targeted therapies, a series of recombinant fusion proteins designed to treat hair loss and severe bone disorders, in an interview with SmartTRAK.

In an interview with SmartTRAK, BiologicsMD President & CEO J. David Owens and CSO Dr. Robyn Goforth discuss BiologicsMD’s innovative highly-targeted treatments for severe bone disorders and hair loss diseases.

To find out more about this early-stage company, the science behind highly-targeted therapies, and two of its lead compounds, click on the following video to listen to the full interview (29:10 min). A link to download a complete transcript of the interview is also provided below.

Q122 started slow but ended on a bright note as COVID-19 concerns faded and surgical volumes approached pre-pandemic levels.

Virtually all orthopedic/spine companies experienced the same pattern with elective procedures during the quarter. In general, elective procedure case counts were pressured in January through the beginning of February as a surge in COVID-19 cases impacted patients and contributed to staffing shortages at healthcare facilities. However, by the end of the quarter elective procedures approached or returned to pre-COVID levels.

Among the many topics covered in detail in our comprehensive Q122 OrthoBio Market Recap* are:

For Q122, US Joint Fluid Replacement market players continued on a running growth, which did not seem too disrupted by the COVID Omicron variant. Furthermore, some players shared that despite physicians’ offices not yet running at 100% levels, company sales representatives were able to hold face-to-face visits and secure new orders.

From the impact of stringent regulations to the shift toward new indications and rising market segments, SmartTRAK explores some of the trends to watch for in 2022 and beyond.

Orthopedic regenerative medicine therapy as an emerging area of science holds great promise for treating and promoting faster healing in a variety of injuries. There is also a belief among some scientists and industry stakeholders that it may hold the key to halting or reversing degenerative chronic conditions through self-healing. In a previous article, SmartTRAK had highlighted several challenges that Regenerative Medicine therapies would need to overcome to become a fully viable business and recognized treatment solution for patients. In 2021, businesses, societies and health care systems across the world continued to experience disruptions from the COVID-19 pandemic and its subsequent waves of variants. Furthermore, much greater scrutiny and tougher regulations for some of the injectable regenerative medicine therapies were put into place. The start of 2022 is also not quite as “rosy” as most had hoped for ...

Jointechlabs – Emerging leader in point-of-care regenerative and rejuvenation medicine therapies

Nathan Katz PhD, ALBB, Co-founder, CEO and Chief Technical Officer at Jointechlabs* (JTL) discussed the Company’s unique technology platform and product developments in a recent interview with SmartTRAK.

JTL is a privately-held regenerative medicine solutions company based in North Barrington, IL. As an emerging leader in point-of-care regenerative and rejuvenation medicine therapies, JTL has patented, portable medicine products that enable personalized therapies. The Company’s lead product, MiniTC*, is an FDA-cleared portable medical device for isolation of fragmented and purified fat grafts (microfat) at the point-of-care. Additionally, JTL is developing therapies for unmet medical needs, with its first product candidate, JTL-T-01*, a proprietary injectable stem cell scaffold in clinical development as a biologic therapy for osteoarthritis, for approval under the FDA’s fast-track program.

SmartTRAK: Can you first tell us a little bit about yourself and then about Jointechlabs?

Nathan Katz: I have a medical background. I graduated from medical school back many years ago in Russia, then graduated from Tel Aviv University and acquired my Master’s Degree and PhD in Cell Biology. I came to the US 16 years ago, first, working on genetics and embryonic stem cells. I spent quite a lot of time in research with embryonic stem cells in the first decade of this millennia and then I was looking for the technology that could be translated into applicable medical technology and translated into therapy.

Adult stem cells came up as the first and obvious choice to look at more precisely, so we shifted, and I shifted personally, my focus from embryonic stem cells towards adult stem cells. I came across PadZuke, and Patricia, who published the first publication on actual adipose-derived stem cells in 2001. My idea was that it is the right way to go and could lead to ...

To read the entire interview with Dr. Katz, please click the button below to download the complete transcript.

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Renewed COVID-19 headwinds mute overall Q3 results, however, the soft tissue repair segment remains resilient

Impact of the Delta variant was felt broadly across OrthoBio, with virtually all publicly traded companies observing a reduction in surgical volume (relative to forecast) directly attributable to a resurgence of COVID-19. Overall, OrthoBio revenue declined, primarily driven by a sharp reduction in Bone Replacement revenue. Several companies noted the decrease in surgical volumes was most acute in August and September due to shortages in hospital staffing. Weakness was most closely tied to deferrable, elective, complex spine procedures.

Among the many topics covered in detail in our comprehensive Q321 OrthoBio Market Recap* are:

Q321 results were a letdown compared to the previous quarter as COVID-19 continues to burst HA players’ bubble but hopes for a return to normal prevail.

Spring 2021 brought on much relief to the US Joint Fluid Replacement market and the summer looked promising for a return to normal business conditions. However, as more cases of COVID-19 Delta variant were reported, especially in key hyaluronic acid (HA) states, like Texas and Florida, companies were left as though their bubble got burst. Some players expressed concerns that volumes could be depressed for Q421 since it does not seem to be picking up as fast as they projected. But, for Q321 and for the most part, the majority of HA market players did report positive revenue increases in the third quarter.

Among the many topics covered in detail in our comprehensive Q321 US Joint Fluid Replacement Market Recap* are: