Platelet-rich plasma (PRP) is an emerging biological tool for musculoskeletal tissue healing. The abundance of autologous growth factors in PRP and ease with which it can be obtained gives it a significant advantage over other potential therapies. However, the mechanism of action is largely unclear and clinical outcomes are still conflicting. Variations within PRP itself, including differences between preparation protocols, number of platelets, use of anticoagulants and activators, and inclusion of leukocytes are variables that may influence the effects of PRP therapy, and while PRP is rich in concentrated growth factors that accelerate tissue healing, it also contains high amounts of deleterious cytokines and growth factors that could exacerbate or increase tissue damage.
Description
In order to make PRP therapy as effective and beneficial as possible, a Pitt researcher has developed a novel approach to customizing PRP to be tissue-specific by eliminating negative/deleterious factors for specific tissue. This tissue-customized PRP will have targeted factors eliminated by neutralizing antibodies that are conjugated using magnetic beads. This technique can easily be added to current PRP isolation protocols, leading to the development of novel approaches to optimize the use of PRP through customization and minimizing potential deleterious effects on the targeted tissue.
Applications
· Next generation PRP product for tissue healing
Advantages
· PRP contains concentrated amounts of several beneficial growth factors, including platelet derived growth factor (PDGF), vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), insulin-like growth factor (IGF), transforming growth factor-beta (TGF-beta), and epithelial growth factors (EGF) that could accelerate tissue healing, potentially at optimal ratios
· PRP easy to obtain
· Maximizes beneficial effects of PRP while minimizing potential deleterious side effects
· Can easily be added to current PRP isolation protocols
Invention Readiness
In vitro data
IP Status
https://patents.google.com/patent/US20240000998A1
