TissueGene awarded $750,000 Maryland Stem Cell Grant for Invossa clinical study

TissueGene, Inc., a US-based regenerative medicine company, announced that the Maryland Stem Cell Research Fund (MSCRF) has awarded TissueGene a clinical grant for Invossa, the world's first cell and gene therapy for degenerative arthritis.

The clinical grant is to be used for conducting clinical trials in Maryland using cell therapy.   This money is part of Accelerating Cure, a new TEDCO initiative to support regenerative medicine and cell therapy technologies in Maryland. 

The grant award will be used by TissueGene to fund a component of a clinical study at a Maryland location for its US Phase III clinical trial for Invossa. The ultimate outcome of this study is the verification that Invossa exerts its therapeutic effect not only by tissue regeneration but on other inflammatory aspects of the disease such as synovitis.

The title of the grant is "Assessment of the Efficacy of TG-C in Treating Synovitis Using Contrast Enhanced MRI in a Clinical Study of Knee Osteoarthritis."  The Principal Investigator (PI) for the study will be Dr. Gurdyal Kalsi, Chief Medical Officer of TissueGene.

"We are excited to support this important clinical trial and the growth of TissueGene in Maryland," said Dr. Dan Gincel, TEDCO's VP University Partnerships, and MSCRF's Executive Director. "We look forward to see many more patients treated and cured from this and other devastating diseases."

Invossa is a first-in-class osteoarthritis drug designed to conveniently and effectively treat osteoarthritis of the knee through a single intra-articular injection.  Clinical trials completed in Korea and on-going trials in the US have demonstrated pain relief, increased mobility, and improvements in joint structure – offering substantial convenience for nearly 33 million Americans with osteoarthritis who would otherwise need surgery.