PROVIDENCE – Dr. Brett Owens of University Orthopedics is among the first in the country, and the first in Rhode Island, to treat patients suffering from knee cartilage damage with an innovative therapy recently approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.
The University Orthopedics Cartilage Repair Center’s new treatment regrows a patient’s own cartilage cells in a laboratory and then implants them to repair the defect.
The procedure, developed by Vericel Corp., headquartered in Cambridge, Mass., and referred to as MACI, is used for repair of single or multiple full-thickness cartilage defects of the knee in adults.
MACI is composed of a patient’s own (autologous) cells that are expanded and placed onto a bio-resorbable [can be broken down by the body] porcine-derived collagen membrane that is implanted over the area where the defective or damaged tissue was removed, according to the FDA, which approved the treatment Dec. 13, 2016.
“With MACI, we have an FDA-approved product in which the patient’s own cells can be reproducibly delivered using less-invasive techniques. We are excited to be able to provide patients with this type of state-of-the-art care,” Owens said.
Owens said treatment options such as MACI allow University Orthopedics to continue to provide the best patient care and outcomes after surgery.
University Orthopedics, with clinics in Providence, Middletown, East Greenwich and Barrington, is a regional Center for Orthopedics, Sports Medicine and Rehabilitation, with specialties in back and neck pain, joint pain, sports medicine problems, shoulder conditions, pediatric orthopedics, musculoskeletal tumors, hand and wrist problems, hip and knee conditions, trauma, and foot and ankle injuries.
Rob Borkowski is a PBN staff writer. Email him at Borkowski@PBN.com.
