Regenerative Neurobiology Experts' Session at Neuroscience 2014 Demonstrates TissueGen's Approach to Nerve Repair

DALLAS, TX--(Marketwired - Nov 13, 2014) -  TissueGen® Inc., developer of a groundbreaking biodegradable fiber format for drug delivery, today announced that they will be attending the Society for Neuroscience's annual meeting, Neuroscience 2014. TissueGen will be present for the poster presentation by regenerative neurobiology experts from the University of Texas at Dallas. This research team, led by Dr. Mario Romero-Ortega, associate professor in the department of bioengineering at University of Texas at Dallas, will present findings on a novel method for nerve regeneration that utilizes both TissueGen's ELUTE® Biodegradable Drug-loaded (BDL) fibers and TissueGen's licensed, patent-pending technology for creating chemical gradients. The proposed model could improve current nerve repair strategies to optimize the regeneration of injured neurons and the recovery of function in patients suffering from paralysis. 

The poster session, titled "Computational modeling of drug release from nerve guide conduit" will be led by Dr. Nesreen Alsmadi, a post-doctorate fellow at the University of Texas at Dallas Laboratory of Regenerative Neurobiology in the lab of Dr. Romero-Ortega. By utilizing technology made feasible by TissueGen, the UT research team is working to overcome the limitations associated with incorporating three-dimensional chemotactic gradients in nerve repair scaffolds. Nerve guides are created using ELUTE BDL fibers loaded with neurotrophic agents that are wound in a variable-pitched coil to establish highly tunable, three-dimensional neurotrophic gradients. The UTD team has demonstrated that these gradient nerve guides created both longer axons and more direct (linear) path of axons compared to similar nerve guides with linear neurotrophic concentration in an ex vivo dorsal root ganglion (DRG) model. 

"TissueGen's new technologies are redefining what is possible in how we approach nerve repair and regeneration," said Dr. Romero-Ortega. "By providing the capability to deliver sensitive growth factors directly to the injury site, nerve regeneration can potentially be promoted without requiring tissue to be harvested from elsewhere in the patient's body."

TissueGen is currently applying this technology to the development of a medical device targeting treatment and recovery of patients with spinal cord injuries. These gradient scaffolds may eventually be surgically implanted into a severed spinal cord to entice motor and sensory axons to regrow, and may aid in the recovery of previously irreparable injuries. 

"The research being presented by the UT Dallas team at Neuroscience 2014 demonstrates that TissueGen's fiber-based drug delivery technology can be applied to nerve regeneration applications and may overcome previous treatment limitations," said Dr. Kevin Nelson, founder and CSO of TissueGen. "We are excited by the work that Dr. Romero-Ortega and his team are doing and look forward to seeing where their ongoing research will lead in terms of revolutionizing the way nerve repair is approached."

Neuroscience 2014 will take place November 15-19, 2014 at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center in Washington, DC. The UT Dallas poster will be on display on Sunday, November 16^th, from 1:00- 5:00 PM in WCC Hall A-C (poster # 209.19/A44) and the presentation at the poster will take place from 3:00-4:00 PM. Dr. Nelson and his team will also be available for meetings at the show; please contact Jordan.bouclin@svmpr.com to schedule.

About TissueGen
TissueGen^® Inc. has more than four decades of cumulative experience in extruding biodegradable polymer fibers with broad drug delivery capabilities well-suited for advanced drug delivery, nerve regeneration, and tissue engineering. TissueGen offers the medical market a portfolio of issued patents on unique drug delivery technology with the capability to incorporate and elute a broad range of biologically derived therapeutics and standard pharmaceuticals in hydrophobic, biodegradable polymeric fibers or tubes for sustained therapeutic release. For more information, please visit www.tissuegen.com.