Tissue Regenix sees positive results from ulcer treatment trial

The York-based company is in the process of commercialising its dCELL technology platform.

Its patented decellularisation (or dCELL) process removes cells from human and animal tissue, leaving a scaffold which can be inserted into the body and repopulated with new cells.

The trial of the new product, produced by NHS Blood and Transplant (NHSBT) Tissue Services, used a graft prepared using Tissue Regenix’ dCELL technology from skin donated by deceased tissue donors and processed to remove all the donor cells.

This new therapy involves a graft, known as dCELL Human Dermis, which is not rejected by the patients’ immune system.

It maintains the essential structure of normal skin and serves as a scaffold for the patients’ cells to migrate into and regenerate living, functional skin tissue.

The company said that lower limb ulcers, which are often secondary to other conditions such as poor circulation and diabetes, are a common age-related condition which is increasing in frequency with an aging and increasingly unfit population.

Professor John Kearney, NHS Blood and Transplant Tissue Services head of research and development, said: “All of these wounds are painful, debilitating and reduce the patient’s quality of life. In some cases they can lead to the patient requiring full or partial amputation. The study showed that dCELL Human Dermis treatment is capable of completely healing chronic leg ulcers in some patients and decreases the size of the wound in others.”

Chronic leg ulcers use up one per cent of the NHS total budget.