July 2015
Robert Stanton, MD, past AOSSM President and Managing Partner of Orthopaedic Specialty Group, PC, Fairfield, CT, presented pre-clinical research on the L-C Ligament® at the annual meeting of the American Orthopaedic Society for Sports Medicine in Orlando, FL
The presentation by Dr. Stanton was attended by over 1,000 orthopaedic surgeons specializing in sports medicine. Dr. Stanton presented the data from the sheep studies of the L-C Ligament performed over the course of five years at the University of New South Wales. The presentation highlighted the successful functional, histological, and pathological outcomes of the L-C Ligament in a scientifically validated model of ACL reconstruction in sheep; follow-up time points included 6 weeks, 3, 6, 12, 18, 24, and 48 months. No adverse reactions to the L-C Ligament or PLLA were observed in the study. Dr. Stanton further noted that an ongoing clinical study in humans showed favorable clinical outcomes at 1 year, and that the L-C Ligament appears to be a safe, viable alternative to tissue grafts.
March 2015
Professor William R. Walsh Presents at the Annual Meetings of the International Society for Ligaments & Tendons (ISLT) and the Orthopaedic Research Society (ORS) in Las Vegas
The 2015 ISLT and ORS meetings featured podium presentations by Professor Walsh on the histology and functional outcomes of the L-C Ligament® in reconstruction of the ACL, and a poster presentation on the functional and histological outcomes of rotator cuff repair with the STR GRAFT. The research included four years of in-vivo data on the L-C Ligament showing reliable, near complete resorption of the PLLA scaffold intra articularly, continued maturation of tissue, and maintenance of the ACL through four years with no adverse effects locally or systemically. The rotator cuff repair study concluded that the STR GRAFT was an effective tissue scaffold and augmentation device for the rotator cuff. Professor Walsh is the director of the Surgical Orthopaedic Research Laboratories at the Prince of Wales Hospital, University of New South Wales, where the pre-clinical, large animal studies were performed on STR’s ligament and tendon repair devices.
Soft Tissue Regeneration attends AAOS Annual Meeting and presents EU trial data to its Scientific Advisory Board
Joseph W. Reilly, President and CEO of Soft Tissue Regeneration (STR), presented to the STR Scientific Advisory Board during the 2015 AAOS Annual Meeting (American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons) in Las Vegas on March 25, 2015. Mr. Reilly presented a summary of the one-year data for all 15 patients in its first European clinical trial, which began in June 2013. STR’s ongoing European clinical trial involves the L-C Ligament, a device that has the potential to advance the surgical repair of torn ACL’s by obviating the need to utilize either the patient’s own tissue (“autograft”) without the pain and morbidity of a second surgical site, or the use of cadaver tissue (“allograft”) with the risks of infection and tissue rejection. Following four years of animal testing that has demonstrated the ability of the L-C Ligament to remodel and regenerate functioning ligament tissue, STR initiated a 15 patient Phase I clinical study in Europe. The first patient was treated in June 2013 in Zwolle, The Netherlands and the fifteenth patient of fifteen was implanted in April 2014.
For more information on the 2015 AAOS Annual Meeting, visit:
www.aaos.org
February 2015
Soft Tissue Regeneration Board Member, Dane Miller, Passes Away
It is with much sadness that Soft Tissue Regeneration reports the passing of Board member Dane Miller, Ph.D. who died on February 10, 2015 of MDS, a rare form of leukemia. Dr. Miller joined the STR Board of Directors in January 2014.
Dr. Miller began his professional career at the Frigidaire Division, GMC in Dayton, Ohio from 1964 to 1969, working as a cooperative engineering student. From 1972 to 1975 he was employed at Zimmer U.S.A. in Warsaw, Indiana, in the position of Director of Biomedical Engineering. His responsibilities included engineering, prototype design and fabrication, as well as basic research support for all new product development programs. He was also responsible for coordinating and developing a custom and special product group, including marketing, sales, and manufacturing of custom products. From 1975 to 1978, Dr. Miller served as Director of Biomedical Engineering for Cutter Biomedical, a division of Cutter Laboratories, Inc., in San Diego, California. His responsibilities included organizing and staffing of a complete product development group, including formal budgeting and product planning functions.
Finally, in 1978, Dr. Miller returned to Warsaw and, along with three other local individuals with orthopedic manufacturing experience formed Biomet, Inc. Their goal was to become the most responsive company in orthopedics while simultaneously providing patients with the highest quality and most clinically proven products in the marketplace. Since its inception in 1978 until March of 2006 Dr. Miller served as President and CEO of the company. With Dr. Miller at the helm, Biomet grew from $17,000 in sales its first year into one of the leading musculoskeletal companies in the world – with annual sales exceeding $2.7 billion. In 2006 he retired from Biomet; and after his retirement, Dr. Miller participated with a group of private equity sponsors taking Biomet private in September of 2007 and serving on the Biomet Board of Directors. In 2014, Zimmer offered over $13 billion to acquire Biomet. The deal is expected to be completed this spring.
Dr. Miller was also an active member of his community in Winona Lake, Indiana; his involvement having included serving as a director of Kosciusko Community Hospital, a member of the President’s Council for Grace College and Seminary, a board member of the Kosciusko Leadership Academy and a board member of the University of Chicago Hospitals and Health System, according to a Forbes magazine profile.
December 2014
Joseph W. Reilly and Soft Tissue Regeneration receive Business Entrepreneur of the Year Award from CURE (Connecting Connecticut’s Science Community)
Joseph W. Reilly, President and CEO of Soft Tissue Regeneration, received the 2014 CURE Business Entrepreneur of the Year award at a ceremony in New Haven, Connecticut on December 9, 2014.
Through this award, CURE recognizes the progress and success of Soft Tissue Regeneration, a New Haven company that is focusing on the application of resorbable polymer scaffold technology suitable for treatment of tendon, ligament, and other soft tissue injuries.
According to CURE, “the Entrepreneur of the Year Award was established by CURE and Shipman and Goodwin in 2013 to acknowledge the importance of showcasing unique accomplishments of entrepreneurs in our community. We seek to recognize individuals who are imaginative, passionate and game-changers in Connecticut bioscience and whose accomplishments would be heralded outside of Connecticut.” CURE was formed in the 1980s by Connecticut’s legacy pharmaceutical companies, including Pfizer, Bayer and Bristol-Myers Squibb, and Yale University. The purpose was to establish in CURE an unbiased and objective source for information and education about the nature and practice of life sciences research and development.
CURE serves as the bioscience cluster of Connecticut, a diverse network of small and large life and healthcare sciences companies, ranging in scope from therapeutics, to healthcare technology, to medical devices. Universities, government agencies, scientists, educators, mentors, students, entrepreneurs, business experts, service providers and investors join in to begin nucleate the breadth of the network. CURE’s work in the late 1990s to date has included taking the lead on several important policy fronts.
For more information on CURE, visit:
cureconnect.org
April 2014
Soft Tissue Regeneration Announces Completion of Patient Enrollment in the L-C Ligament European Clinical Trial
Soft Tissue Regeneration’s LC-Ligament Featured in the Online Magazine START-UP
January 2014
Soft Tissue Regeneration Announces Financing and Appoints New Members to Board of Directors
Dane Miller, Charles Hart, and Richard Emmitt Join STR Board of Directors
August 2013
Soft Tissue Regeneration: First Patient in L-C Ligament Trial
July 2013
Soft Tissue Regeneration, announced the enrollment of its first patient in a clinical trial of the company’s L-C Ligament®, a bioresorbable scaffold for soft tissue regeneration of the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) of the knee. The patient was implanted at Isala Klinieken in Zwolle, The Netherlands, by a team led by Dr. Kees van Egmond and supervised by Drs. Robert Arciero and Robert Stanton of the United States. The implant surgery was performed successfully and the patient is recovering.
January 2013
Rocky Hill, Connecticut
Connecticut Innovations (CI), the state’s quasi-public authority responsible for technology investing and innovation development, today announced that it has made a follow-on investment of $750,000 in Soft Tissue Regeneration Inc. (STR) of New Haven, Conn., through its Eli Whitney Fund. This investment is part of a round of up to $2.5 million led by CI and Philadelphia-based MentorTech Ventures II LP. Other investors in this round include the New Haven branch of LaunchCapital and individual investors.
“This investment will allow STR to continue its successful animal studies and begin European clinical trials in September 2012,” explained Joseph W. Reilly, president, chief executive officer and co-founder of STR. He further stated, “The team at CI has been invaluable in supporting STR’s activities as partners in developing our technologies in Connecticut.”
STR is advancing a breakthrough technology to treat anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injuries. The company’s patented and proprietary technology, exclusively licensed on a worldwide basis from Drexel University, addresses many issues associated with autografts (tissue transplanted from one part of a patient’s body to another) and allografts (tissue transplanted from a cadaver). STR’s product, the L-C Ligament®, is a biocompatible and degradable synthetic braided scaffold that is surgically attached to the femur and tibia bones when replacing the patient’s torn ACL. The scaffold stabilizes the knee and facilitates the regeneration of ligament tissue – ultimately resulting in faster, improved healing. With an estimated 800,000 ACL reconstruction surgeries performed annually around the globe and an active, aging population, here is a strong and growing market for STR’s product. Reilly was pleased to announce that, for the first time, STR recently demonstrated the complete regeneration of a native, natural and load-carrying ACL using a degradable synthetic polymeric construct.
“Since relocating to Connecticut two years ago, STR has made significant strides in advancing its groundbreaking orthopaedic technology,” said Peter Longo, president and executive director of CI. “We are encouraged by the trials conducted to date and have great confidence in the company’s talented group of executives, scientists and board advisors.”
The company’s scientific team is led by its scientific founder Cato T. Laurencin, M.D., Ph.D. Dr. Laurencin is director of the Institute for Regenerative Engineering at the University of Connecticut Health Center and the chief executive officer of the Connecticut Institute for Clinical and Translational Science. An orthopaedic surgeon and engineer, he was recently designated a University Professor by the Board of Trustees at University of Connecticut.
STR is also leveraging its technology platform to develop a suite of complementary follow-on products that will facilitate the regrowth of other injured ligaments and tendons, including a recently developed biodegradable rotator cuff augmentation device.
Russell Tweeddale, CI managing director of investments, will continue to represent CI on STR’s board of directors
March, 2012
National Geographic Magazine
National Geographic Magazine named Regenerative Medicine as one of the top 100 Scientific Discoveries That Changed the World and specifically mentions Soft Tissue Regeneration, Inc’s. technology to regenerate the ACL.
February 11, 2011
Dr. Cato T. Laurencin, Scientific Founder of Soft Tissue Regeneration, Inc has been elected to the prestigious National Academy of Engineering. Laurencin is an internationally prominent orthopaedic surgeon and bioengineering expert.
Election to the NAE is among the nation’s highest professional distinctions accorded to an engineer.
Elected to the Institute of Medicine of the National Academy of Sciences in 2004, Laurencin is among an elite group — representing approximately 7 percent of the National Academy of Engineering’s total membership — elected to two National Academies. He is among a group of 68 new members elected to the NAE. The announcement singled out his work in biomaterials science, drug delivery, and tissue engineering involving musculoskeletal systems, as well as for his academic leadership.
“This is a true honor for me,” Laurencin said. “I am humbled to be elected to the academy and am deeply grateful to my mentors, colleagues, students and patients who have inspired me through the years.”
Laurencin’s career has followed a dual path in orthopaedic surgery and engineering. He has pioneered advances in tissue and regenerative engineering and focused on applications to help patients regain mobility and strength. His research involves tissue engineering, biomaterials science, drug delivery systems, nanotechnology and stem cell science. At UConn, he is a distinguished professor of Orthopaedic Surgery and Chemical, Biomolecular and Materials Engineering, as well as a professor of Biomedical Engineering.
A fellow of the American Surgical Association, the American College of Surgeons, and the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons, Laurencin has been recognized by America’s Top Doctors, America’s Top Surgeons and Black Enterprise Magazine in its Leading Doctors Edition. He has won the prestigious Nicholas Andry Award from the Association of Bone and Joint Surgeons.
February 2, 2011
Joseph W. Reilly, President and Chief Executive Officer of Soft Tissue Regeneration, Inc, will present at the IN3 Venture Conference http://www.in3west.com/content/Main.aspx in Las Vegas, Nevada on February 23, 2011. Mr. Reilly will make a presentation discussing the Company’s breakthrough technology for soft tissue regeneration of the Anterior Cruciate Ligament (ACL) of the knee and new advances in rotator cuff augmentation
Connecticut Innovations Makes $500,000 Investment in Soft Tissue Regeneration Inc.
September 9, 2009
Stamford, Connecticut
Soft Tissue Regeneration, Inc. has been chosen by the Connecticut Technology Council as a 2009 Company to Watch as part of the Third Annual Cantor Colburn / CAAT Innovation Pipeline Awards.
February 4, 2009
The President and CEO of Soft Tissue Regeneration, Inc., Mr. Joseph W. Reilly, has been selected to present at the Corporate Venture Capital Summit http://youngstartup.com/corporate09/overview.php at the British Consulate in Cambridge, MA on February 24, 2009.
The 2009 Corporate Venture Capital Summit, now in its fifth year, has become recognized as the premier venue for venture capitalists, Startups and Corporate Development Officers to meet, interact and network with leading Corporate VCs and Strategic Investors.
More than 24 leading VCs will speak at the Summit. These top-tier venture investors will discuss: VC investment trends, strategies for investing in early stage ventures, strategies for finding and accessing capital, what they look for in early stage companies, the kinds of companies they find most attractive, and the do’s and don’ts in structuring deals.
February 3, 2009
Mr. Joseph W. Reilly, the President and CEO of Soft Tissue Regeneration, Inc. has been selected to present at the Wharton Health Care Conference http://www.whcbc.org/index.asp on February 20, 2009, at the Park Hyatt at the Bellevue, Philadelphia, PA.
The Wharton Health Care Business Conference, started in 1996, is a leading health care forum for industry professionals, academics, and students. The annual two-day event typically attracts over 700 attendees across the nation. These individuals represent a diverse set of sectors, from suppliers (pharmaceuticals, biotech, and medical devices) to healthcare delivery and services, as well as a broad range of functions, from marketing to business development to investors.
This Year’s Theme: Catalyzing Change will explore how companies and individuals are staying ahead of the curve through proactively leading change in an increasingly dynamic field. Example topics include the convergence of pharmaceutical and biotechnology, medical device industry globalization, health care reform with a new political administration, and the challenges associated with financing in a constrained economy.
February 2, 2009
Dr. Mark T. Aronson, Senior Scientist of Soft Tissue Regeneration, Inc. will present at the 6th Annual McGuire Woods Health Care and Life Sciences Private Equity Conference in Chicago on February 26, 2009. The conference will be held at the Palmer House Hilton in Chicago, IL.
September 2, 2008
Soft Tissue Regeneration, Inc. announced that it has closed on a $3.5 million Series A financing led by MentorTech Ventures (Philadelphia, PA).
June 11, 2008
Helsinki Finland
The 2008 Millennium Technology Prize was presented to Soft Tissue Regeneration, LLC Board of Directors Member and Scientific Advisory Board Member, Professor Robert Langer today in Helsinki for developing innovative biomaterials for controlled drug release.