BMP2/BMP6/activin A-based chimera for bone repair

INDICATION: Bone repair

Cell culture and non-human primate studies identified chimera composed of BMP2, BMP6 and activin A sequences that could help repair bone.The chimera consists of human BMP2 engineered with substitutions of amino acid sequences from human BMP6 and receptor-binding domains of human activin A. In mouse myoblasts, the chimera increased alkaline phosphatase activity, a marker of early stage osteoblast differentiation, compared with BMP2. In human periosteal-derived stem cells, the chimera increased alkaline phosphatase activity and mineralization, a marker of late stage osteoblast differentiation. In a macaque model of fibula ostectomy, the chimera delivered to the fracture site with calcium-deficient hydroxyapatite granules suspended in a recombinant human collagen type I (COL1) matrix increased bone remodeling compared with the granule-COL1 matrix alone. In two baboon models of fibula ostectomy, the chimera plus the granule-COL1 matrix increased bone remodeling compared with pretreatment baselines. Next steps by Bioventus Inc. include finding a partner for clinical trials of the chimera and composite matrix combination...