Tag: Heraeus Medical
Company News: Heraeus takes a major equity stake in Ankasa Regenerative Therapeutics Inc.
– Agreement includes Right of First Refusal for an orthopaedic indication
Heraeus Holding (Heraeus), a Fortune 500 technology group, has announced the completion of an equity investment in Ankasa Regenerative Therapeutics Inc. (Ankasa), a California-based regenerative medicine company.
Ankasa is focused on pharmaceutical preparations for reactivation of stem cells for organ and tissue regrowth, tissue repair and healing. The company is focusing on the development of the stem cell growth factor WNT3A, which is found in humans and functions in the maintenance of bone growth and repair, but the level of which declines with age. Ankasa intends to develop a proprietary localized therapy involving WNT3A for spinal fusion surgery patients as well as the use in additional bone and other tissue repair applications.
Ankasa´s solution is strategically relevant for Heraeus Medical GmbH, a subsidiary of Heraeus Holding. Heraeus Medical, awarded as a TOP 100 innovative company in Germany, develops biomaterials and medical devices for orthopedic surgery, traumatology and biosurgery.
Following recent early-stage investments, Heraeus continues to actively seek enabling technologies and development partners in the burgeoning field of regenerative medicine in order to accelerate its product development pipeline.
Financial terms of the investment by Heraeus were not disclosed.
Company News: Heraeus Medical GmbH Signs Exclusive License and Development Agreement with Locate Therapeutics for Orthopaedic Applications
Heraeus Medical GmbH announced today an agreement with Locate Therapeutics to license the intellectual property surrounding the use of TAOS® in orthopaedic applications and the inception of the first development program in this field. The agreement gives Heraeus Medical GmbH the rights to the future co-developed orthopaedic products as well as the processes involved in manufacturing the final product. Locate Therapeutics has the full capabilities to carry out such development work. The agreement takes the form of a standard upfront and milestone payment structure.
Locate is a specialist regenerative medicine and device company which has been incubated by University of Nottingham. With grant funding and financial assistance from Wellcome Trust and the Technology Strategy Board (now Innovate UK) the company has developed TAOS™ a patented platform polymer technology with multiple medical applications. The TAOS (Targeted, Orchestrated Signaling) technology is a world first in tissue repair. It enables the precision focus of therapeutic signals and provides an optimal structure to support tissue repair. Uniquely, TAOS can accommodate and promote the actions of receptor-binding moieties, locally-applied drugs, and emergent biological & cell-based therapies.
Company News: Curetis and Heraeus Medical Collaborate on the Development of New Unyvero™ Diagnostic Cartridge
– Joint development of cartridge for orthopaedics, wound and surgery infections –
Curetis AG and Heraeus Medical GmbH have signed a collaboration agreement to jointly develop a novel Unyvero™ cartridge for the detection of pathogens and antibiotic resistances in implant & tissue infections (ITI). One key application area will be in orthopaedics, e.g. to diagnose infections after knee and hip replacement surgeries.
Under the terms of the agreement, Heraeus and Curetis will co-fund product development in the respective indication areas. Heraeus’ customers will be given access to the Unyvero™ solution, while Curetis will pay a sales commission for any customer referrals by Heraeus to Curetis. No licenses are involved and further financial details were not disclosed.
Curetis will retain full control over its commercialization strategy and execution both directly in the DACH region as well as via its international distributor network. The resulting Unyvero cartridge and application will be a Curetis-labeled IVD.
The collaboration will provide Heraeus with access to leading-edge, innovative and easy-to-use in vitro diagnostics and molecular diagnostic solutions for its customers. The new ITI cartridge will be of interest not only in general surgery, but also in infections caused by biofilms (e.g. on knee and hip implants or catheters), in abdominal surgery infections, diabetic foot, burn wounds etc.
Today, wound and surgical site infections are increasingly caused by bacteria carrying multiple antibiotic resistances. In orthopaedic indications, infections often involve biofilms, communities of microorganisms very hard to open up and cultivate. At present, it may take 7-15 days to obtain results from biofilm samples. This scenario often leads to prolonged empiric treatment, follow-on surgeries and increased morbidity and healthcare costs.
For the development of the new cartridge, the partners have jointly conducted market research in orthopaedic applications throughout Europe. They have also teamed up with clinical key opinion leaders in Germany, Switzerland, France, the UK, and Scandinavia to determine the pathogens and antibiotic resistances that need to be included in the diagnostic panel of the new cartridge. The partners expect assay development for the new cartridge to be completed by early 2013, with clinical validation and CE marking throughout 2013 and an expected launch in the EU by the end of 2013. The product is likely to include more than 40 and possibly up to 50 analytes.
Curetis will present its Unyvero™ solution at the 64th Annual Meeting of the German Society for Hygiene and Microbiology (DGHM) in Hamburg (September 30 – October 3, 2012).