Anika Therapeutics collaborates with IIB to develop MSC therapy for Osteoarthritis

Anika Therapeutics integrated orthopedic medicines company based on its proprietary hyaluronic acid (“HA”) technology, today announced an agreement with the Institute of Integrative Biology at the University of Liverpool to collaborate  to develop an  injectable mesenchymal stem cell (MSC) therapy for the treatment of osteoarthritis (OA).

The aim is to develop a novel MSC therapy for the treatment of OA, and if successful, is expected to yield a lead candidate that will move toward clinical development within a year of the collaboration’s completion.

Dr. Charles H. Sherwood, Chief Executive Officer, Anika Therapeutics stated “This research will consist of a novel product design and pre-clinical testing, that has the potential to produce an advanced therapy to treat the joint damage and pain caused by this debilitating condition.”

Osteoarthritis is the most common chronic condition of the joints, inflicting on over 230 million people globally. OA can affect any joint, but it occurs most often in knees, hips, lower back, neck, small joints of the fingers, and the bases of the thumb and big toe. In normal joints, cartilage covers the end of each bone and acts as a cushion between the bones. However, osteoarthritis causes this cartilage to break down, causing pain, swelling and problems moving the joint.

Image Source: Anika Therapeutics