Bio Nova Technology is based on collagen “scaffolds”

The Bio Nova technology produces collagen based scaffolds to generate replacement tissue and organs that replicate the form and function of natural tissues and organs. The core technology produces three dimensional collagen based structures (“tissue scaffolds”) for use in a wide range of implantable medical devices for the treatment of defective tissues and organs. With the addition of human cells to the tissue scaffold, this is expected to provide a living tissue engineered replacement part for implantation into the patient.

Bio Nova’s replacement tissues address the current limitations of transplantation, namely:

• the limited supply of suitable donor tissues and organs; and

• their risk of rejection, which requires immuno-suppressive drugs that make already ill patients very vulnerable to infection.

Growth in animals to gain much-needed collagen

Bio Nova’s tissue scaffolds may be grown in animals, primarily sheep, which are certified as free of disease, by a unique process that provides design flexibility of the tissue scaffolds in terms of both the scaffold material and its three dimensional form. Additionally, other collagen based structures may be harvested and converted into tissue scaffolds for specific applications.

Methods of processing the tissue scaffolds have been developed so that the resultant structures are suitable for transplantation into humans. These methods address the risks of immunological rejection or potential infectious agents in accordance with international standards and regulations.

And the patient’s own cells will grow onto this substrate

Bio Nova has developed methods to grow a variety of human cells on the tissue scaffolds prior to implant. For example, Bio Nova has demonstrated that by lining the inside of small diameter tissue tubes with a patient’s own living endothelial cells, a patient-specific “living” blood vessel can be created which may be suitable for coronary artery bypass grafts.

Potentially muscle and skin can be developed from this

Additional patient-specific devices may potentially be constructed by Bio Nova using other cell types. For example, Bio Nova has also grown smooth muscle cells and fibroblasts on the tissue scaffolds and these may potentially be used to produce other human tissues such as skin or muscle layers.