CAMBRIDGE, Mass.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--InVivo Therapeutics (OTCBB: NVIV), a company focused on the development of groundbreaking technologies for the treatment of spinal cord injuries (SCI), today announced that a poster highlighting data from a laboratory investigation of the company’s injectable hydrogel technology for local, controlled-release drug delivery, is being presented at the 2011 Annual Meeting of the American Association of Neurological Surgeons (AANS)/Central Nervous System (CNS) Section on Disorders of the Spine and Peripheral Nerves, which is being held March 9-12 in Phoenix, Arizona.
The laboratory investigation, titled “An injectable thiol-acrylate poly(ethylene glycol) hydrogel for sustained release of methylprednisolone sodium succinate for treatment of spinal cord injury and in neurosurgical applications,” was designed to evaluate the potential of the rationally designed hydrogel to overcome limitations associated with systemic administration of high-dose methylprednisolone (MP), a steroid that is commonly used in the treatment of SCI. Current limitations include increased risk of infection, delayed wound healing, pneumonia and sepsis.
“Biomaterials have the potential to enable more localized and controlled delivery of MP, reducing many of the safety risks associated with conventional delivery methods while exerting an anti-inflammatory effect directly on the site of injury,” said Eric J. Woodard, MD, Chief of Neurosurgery, New England Baptist Hospital, who co-authored the study and will be representing the poster at the meeting.
Dr. Woodard continued: “Our findings indicate that the injectable, polyethylene-glycol-based hydrogel used in the study is a potential candidate for local controlled release of MP in the intraparenchymal and peridural spaces of the spinal cord. Drug dosage for local administration could be individually tailored without affecting the release time-period or hydrogel volume. Its demonstration of syneresis may ensure that no pressure is exerted by the hydrogel upon equilibration to avoid compression of neural elements, making it a potentially useful candidate in neurosurgical applications.”
Along with its biocompatible polymer scaffold device, which the company plans to move into a clinical study in the second half of this year, InVivo is developing its novel hydrogel technology as a treatment for SCI. Both technologies focus on protection of the spinal cord and prevention of secondary injury, an approach which, unlike any currently available treatment, is designed to address the underlying pathology of a SCI.
About InVivo Therapeutics
InVivo Therapeutics Holdings Corp. is a Cambridge, MA medical device company focused on utilizing polymers as a platform technology to develop treatments to improve function in individuals paralyzed as a result of traumatic spinal cord injury. The company was founded in 2005 on the basis of proprietary technology co-invented by Robert Langer, ScD, Professor at Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and Joseph P. Vacanti, MD, who is affiliated with Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston.
Safe Harbor Statement
Any statements contained in this press release that do not describe historical facts may constitute forward-looking statements as that term is defined in the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Any forward-looking statements contained herein are based on current expectations, but are subject to a number of risks and uncertainties. The factors that could cause actual future results to differ materially from current expectations include, but are not limited to, risks and uncertainties relating to the Company's ability to sell additional shares of common stock and warrants to purchase common stock at additional closings, the Company's ability to develop, market and sell products based on its technology; the expected benefits and efficacy of the Company’s products and technology in connection with spinal cord injuries; the availability of substantial additional funding for the Company to continue its operations and to conduct research and development, clinical studies and future product commercialization; and, the Company's business, research, product development, regulatory approval, marketing and distribution plans and strategies. These and other factors are identified and described in more detail in our filings with the SEC, including, our current reports on Form 8-K. We do not undertake to update these forward-looking statements made by us.
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