The OsteoarthritisCaused Loss of cartilage that stresses the joints According to the World Health Organization, such as elbows, hips and knees, currently affect about 500 million people worldwide. This is one of them The main causes of disabilityIt becomes more common with the age of the population.

The treatment available so far manages to soothe the pain and stop the disease, though it does not reverse the process. But Rosario’s doctors Gaston Topol (Physiatrist and Rehabilitation Specialist) and Franco Cescott (Kinesiologist), with a molecular biologist Diego CroceRehearsals in Mendoza a Regenerative stem cell therapyWhich has achieved new cartilage growth in patients.

In fact, it is a combination of treatments, including prolotherapy (injection of dextrose or glucose to increase blood flow and thus stimulate tissue regeneration); Platelet-rich plasma and stem cells, also called mesenchymal cells, are pluripotent cells, meaning they can become any type of tissue. They are removed from the patient’s own bone and inserted into the joint to prevent any kind of rejection.

Professionals published the work in 2016 Journal of Physical and Medical Rehabilitation In which they showed arthroscopy to do so Combination therapy may increase cartilage in patients With grade 4 osteoarthritis, disability, average age 77 years.

They are currently busy Develop an injection formula Which can be commercialized and for that they founded a startup at the end of last year Dharma BiosciencesIncubated in the SF500, an accelerator for biotech companies consisting of the Bioceres Group and with the participation of Santa Fe Province.

Regenerative medicine

With an investment of $ 250,000 from the Accelerator, Dharma Partners hope to implement New clinical trials in patients, To determine the formulation of injection treatment. In May, the entrepreneurs traveled to the Advanced Therapies Congress in London, where they presented their project.

“Our goal Minimal is the improvement of existing treatments and the maximum we want to achieve is the cure of osteoarthritis “From cartilage regeneration,” says Topol, expecting that “in March 2023 we will have results. “If all goes well, then at least five years of research with thousands of patients will follow, requiring greater investment to make the treatment finally available on the market.”

Regenerative therapy is also used for treatment tendinopathies and ligament injuriesIt is common in athletes or people who perform repetitive movements. Topol specialized in this type of therapy, focusing on sports rehabilitation, at the University of Austin, Texas in the late 1990s. And when he returned to the country, he set up a rehabilitation clinic in Rosario Dharma, which would later become today’s biotech startup. One of the top five companies in the SF500.

The contact with the incubator was from his partner, Cescotti, who knew Federico Truco (the owner of Bioseres). He invited them to become part of the SF500, which was inaugurated in March this year at the Rosario Science and Technology Pole, where Indear’s head office, the Institute of Agrobiotechnology, originated in collaboration with Bioceres, Biosidus and Conicet. The SF500 aims to invest $ 300 million over ten years to create 500 new companies. Focused on improving health and the environment through the use of biotechnology.