University spin-out to develop new gene therapy system for use in orthopaedic surgery
A new university spin-out company has been established to develop a pioneering gene therapy system for use in orthopaedic surgery.
TherageniX, a spin-out from the University of Nottingham (UoN), has been launched with the backing of European healthtech venture builder NLC. The new company is also being supported by Nottingham Technology Ventures, which manages UoN’s spin-out portfolio.
Its technology uses gene therapy to provide biological cues to boost the body’s response to regenerating skin, bone, muscle and cartilage. It will initially focus on orthopaedic application, with the aim of improving the outcomes for patients with bone loss, infection and disease.
The technology is the brainchild of Dr James Dixon from the UoN School of Pharmacy.
Dr Dixon said: “Adapting our technology for a rapid application directly to grafted tissue within the operating theatre has been a vision for our gene delivery platform for several years, we have the opportunity here to bring regenerative medicine and gene therapy forward with innovative applications and apply it in ways we could not have envisaged only a few years ago. We hope that our system will generate a platform of transformative, economically viable and impactful approaches to clinical problems that remain poorly addressed in modern medicine.”
Anandkumar Nandakumar, TherageniX CEO, said: “I am very excited about the technology and we have a unique approach to help patients with bone defects. We are only at the first step with the possibilities of this technology. In the future we can envision treating several types of defects and tissues and move towards personalized medicine.”
Alice MacGowan of Nottingham Technology Ventures added: “We’re incredibly pleased to announce the launch of TherageniX and are looking forward to seeing the potential of this platform realised for orthopaedic applications. Delivery of gene therapies to the site of action is a critical challenge, which this innovation has the ability to solve. It is incredibly rewarding to see the work of Dr. Dixon and colleagues at the University of Nottingham recognised by this external investment.”
