Successful Project Completion- RegenMatrix: Collagen-mimetic Bioactive Hydrogels for Bone Regeneration

By Yash Mokashi, CMI Fellow

CMI would like to congratulate the investigators of the project RegenMatrix for the successful completion of their project with the aid of CMI funding. The investigators are Dr. Shilpa Sant, Mr. Akhil Patel, Dr. Yadong Wang, Dr. Sachin Shankar Velankar and Dr. Charles S. Sfeir. 

CMI aims at facilitating the translation of innovative biomedical technologies into marketable products and services. Project RegenMatrix is an excellent example that meets all the CMI success criteria. 

Bone loss is a serious condition without any effective treatment for inducing bone regeneration. Although bone has natural healing capacity, trauma due to sports or other accidents cause injuries beyond natural healing capacity. Bone loss also occurs due to tumors and other bone degenerative diseases. In general, such problems are recorded during emergency response or during consultations with physicians. In stark contrast with current clinical management of bone loss, the investigators focus on a regenerative strategy rather than a damage control strategy. The RegenMatrix utilizes natural and biodegradable materials instead of synthetic materials to regenerate functional bone tissue. 

Using CMI funding of $20,000, the investigators provided proof of concept and accomplished all initially set milestones. A patent application was filed in 2016 and has been published in 2017. The work was presented at McGowan Institute Retreat 2017 and it was awarded 2^nd prize in the ‘Medical Devices’ category. The team is currently seeking additional funding to continue the project.