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Organogenesis Joins Collaboration Focused On Treatments For Military

April 17, 2008

Organogenesis Inc. said Thursday it is part of a consortium that will use the science of regenerative medicine to develop new treatments for wounded soldiers.

Canton, Mass.-based Organogenesis, which is focused on bio-active wound healing, bio-surgery and bio-aesthetics, said the effort is being spearheaded by the Institute for Regenerative Medicine at Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center. The medical center has been awarded $42.5 million over five years by the U.S. Army Institute of Surgical Research (ISR) to co-lead one of two academic groups that will form the Armed Forces Institute of Regenerative Medicine (AFIRM).

The collaboration will be headed by the Wake Forest Institute for Regenerative Medicine, and the McGowan Institute for Regenerative Medicine at the University of Pittsburgh. A second consortium will be managed by Rutgers and the Cleveland Clinic.

"We are proud that Organogenesis will play a key role in the development of better treatments of battlefield injuries through the use of regenerative medicine," said Geoff Mackay, CEO of Organogenesis, in a statement. "We believe that our experience as pioneers in the translation of regenerative medicine technology from visionary science and laboratory research, to therapies used to benefit patients in everyday medical care, will be important to AFIRM."

AFIRM will look for ways to repair battlefield injuries through the use of regenerative medicine, science that takes advantage of the body's natural healing powers to restore or replace damaged tissue and organs.

In addition to developing clinical treatments, AFIRM will serve as a training facility to develop experts in treating trauma with regenerative medicine and will serve as a resource to help the military develop tissues as needs are identified. Therapies developed by AFIRM will also benefit people in the civilian population with burns or severe trauma, according to Organogenesis officials.