I-Corps: Personalized Tissue Engineering

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The broader impact/commercial potential of this I-Corps project is the potential commercialization of a platform technology for tissue engineering and regenerative medicine. Complex tissue injuries and non-healing wounds represent a global therapeutic challenge, making tissue engineering and regenerative medicine a multi-billion commercial opportunity with many unmet clinical needs. Today most wound care products rely on a "degrade and replace" mechanism, mediated by inflammation and resulting in disorganized scar tissue. The innovative technology, on which this project is based, works by a mechanism of "persist and regenerate" to restore tissue architecture and function. Additionally, these materials have unique capacity for customization, positioning it for future applications in areas including soft tissue reconstruction such as after tumor removal; repair of tendons, ligaments, and bone; tissue bulking agents for treating urinary incontinence or laryngeal paralysis; and for cellular therapies such as islet transplantation for diabetes. Taken together, these attributes will potentially enable innovative, low-cost products for personalized tissue engineering that have potential to reduce health care costs and improve patient outcomes.This I-Corps project is based on an advanced tissue-derived product, namely Collymer Self-Assembly Matrix, which represents the first injectable collagen which exhibits self-assembly-the ability to transition from a fluid to a stable fibrillar scaffold upon injection. This technology was inspired by new mechanistic insights into i) collagen synthesis and assembly as occurs within the body and ii) mechanobiology signaling which relies on cell-collagen biophysical interactions. Because Collymers immediately restore the natural tissue architecture by forming collagen fibrils just like those found in the body, this natural biomaterial is non-inflammatory and exhibits superior tissue regeneration. Collymers' unique capacity for patient-specific customization by incorporating cells and customizing the architecture of the scaffold (density, shape, and architecture) makes it the first personalized tissue regeneration/engineering technology. The specific aims of the I-Corps project is to explore and prioritize most promising applications for this technology as well as the best path to commercialization considering factors such as reimbursement, regulatory path and customer segment.