Pioneering stem cell bandage to commence clinical trials

A potentially groundbreaking new stem cell bandage for torn meniscal cartilage is set to commence clinical testing among human subjects.

University of Bristol spin-out company Azellon Cell Therapeutics has received new funding from Sun Capital that will allow it to carry out the study, which has already been approved by the Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency.

The cell bandage is designed as an alternative to the current treatment of surgical removal of the meniscus, which has been associated with an elevated risk of early-onset osteoarthritis.

By contrast, the new technique will allow material to be grown from the patient's own cells and transplanted into the knee joint, representing the first treatment of its kind in the world.

Professor Anthony Hollander, chief scientific officer of Azellon Cell Therapeutics, said: "With … completion of this funding round, we are now ready to get going on our safety trial; it's an important moment for Azellon and for stem cell research."

Earlier this month, a study from the US devised a new type of surface that could allow human stem cells to be grown exponentially faster in future.