MEDIPOST said on the 10th that autologous cartilage restoration using its umbilical cord blood–derived allogeneic mesenchymal stem cell therapy Cartistem surpassed 3,000 cases for the first time at a single medical institution in Korea.
The milestone was achieved at Gangnam JS Hospital in Gangnam, Seoul.
Autologous cartilage restoration using Cartistem is a treatment that applies an umbilical cord blood–derived stem cell therapy to the damaged knee joint cartilage area to induce cartilage regeneration. It aims to restore cartilage function and preserve the joint before artificial joint replacement.
Treatment effectiveness should be assessed by comprehensively considering the extent of cartilage damage, joint alignment, the patient's age, and activity level, and the operating surgeon's clinical experience and a systematic treatment protocol have a major impact on outcomes.
A MEDIPOST official said, "Through collaboration with medical institutions, we plan to enhance clinical data and systematically accumulate and share long-term follow-up results to continuously publicize Cartistem's cartilage regeneration efficacy at home and abroad."
MEDIPOST is expanding overseas clinical trials based on clinical application experience accumulated in Korea. In Japan, it completed phase 3 clinical trials of Cartistem and is currently preparing the clinical study report (CSR), with results to be released in the second quarter of this year.
U.S. clinical trials are also gaining momentum. MEDIPOST said on the 4th that it received investigational new drug (IND) approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for a phase 3 clinical trial in the United States.