Anthony Galea
Galea Professional Medical Inc., Canada
Title: Cytorich: A novel anti-inflammatory/catabolic and regenerative autologous blood-derived product for osteoarthritis treatment
Biography
Biography: Anthony Galea
Abstract
Statement of the Problem: Osteoarthritis (OA) is degenerative joint disease characterized by cartilage damage and synovial inflammation. Autologous blood-derived products target special inflammatory molecular pathways and have a beneficial therapeutic effect for inflammatory pathologies. The purpose of this study was to assess the in vitro and in vivo anti-inflammatory/catabolic and regenerative potential of a novel autologous blood product (Cytorich).
Materials and methods: Blood samples from healthy donors were incubated using different techniques for 24h and analyzed for the presence of anti-inflammatory (IL-1ra), anti-catabolic (tissue inhibitors of metalloproteinases, TIMPs), regenerative, pro-inflammatory (TNF-α, IL-1) and catabolic (matrix metalloproteinases, MMPs) molecules. Double-blinded controlled clinical study was conducted to evaluate clinical effectiveness and safety of the final product using VAS and WOMAC scales.
Results: The highest concentration of therapeutic molecules targeting inflammatory and degeneration pathways in OA, as well as platelet-derived growth factor, was found in 24h 37C incubated blood. However, the increased production of catabolic MMP9 and TNF-α and IL-1 was detected in the product. We have found that this negative effect could be blocked by adding citric acid making future OA treatment more safe and effective. Double-blinded controlled clinical study has shown a safety and efficiency of this new product. The analysis of WOMAC and VAS scores revealed improvement in pain and daily activities parameters.
Conclusion & Significance: Cytorich is an efficient and safe autologous product for OA treatment since it has been reported a a source of human bioactive molecules playing a key role in the fundamental processes stimulating tissue repair and regeneration.