TECHNOLOGY
Autologous Muscle Tissue Regeneration
Biopsy
In a first step a small muscle biopsy taken from the patient under local anesthesia.
Expansion
The dormant muscle stem cells, which are located at the base of muscle fibers, are isolated from the surrounding tissue. During this process, they are activated and start proliferating into MPCs. These cells are expanded under strictly monitored conditions. Once, the required cell number is reached, the cells are harvested.
Quality Control
The quality of these cells is tested by an external, certified laboratory before the product is released.
Injection
The final product is prepared and transported to the hospital where it is injected into the damaged muscle of the patient.
Regeneration
Once injected, the MPCs begin to differentiate, form new muscle fibers and connect with existing muscle tissue leading to regeneration of the muscle.
DEVELOPMENT
For over a decade, pre-clinical and Proof of Concept studies were conducted in the tissue engineering laboratory of Prof. Eberli at the University of Zurich. Based on these results, the Swiss authorities gave their approval for a phase I clinical trial, focusing on the treatment of stress urinary incontinence in women, which was completed in 2021. Phase II, which will further investigate the efficiency of this therapy was initiated in September 2022 and is currently recruiting patients.
