What Is Agili-C and How Is It Implanted?
The Agili-C is a biocompatible and biodegradable tapered-shaped solid implant. It is manufactured from aragonite (calcium-carbonate), derived from sea coral. When implanted into a pre-prepared osteochondral hole it acts as a 3D scaffold that potentially supports and promotes the regeneration of the articular cartilage and its underlying subchondral bone.
In previously published animal studies, Agili-C demonstrated the ability to regenerate hyaline cartilage—as confirmed by the presence of Type II collagen and proteoglycans, and the absence of Type I collagen—without relying on growth factors, or external stem cells.
One of the key attributes of Agili-C’s 3D scaffold is its interconnected porosity which maximizes cell contact and promotes matrix deposition.
The implant looks like this:
“Basically, what CartiHeal designed with the Agili-C is an implant with ideal porosity that enables simultaneous regeneration of the articular cartilage and remodeling of the subchondral bone,” explained Prof. Verdonk.
Implanting Agili-C, says Prof. Verdonk, is surprisingly simple. “The procedure to implant Agili-C is very close to what the orthopedic surgeon is used to, i.e., drill the hole, place the implant and push it in. Very user-friendly procedure. Only few minutes per implantation.”
Stay tuned, for sure.
[1]https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/record/NCT03299959?term=cartilage&cond=knee+arthritis&cntry=US&draw=2&rank=48&view=record
[2] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22637204?dopt=Abstract
[3] ibid
[4] Crawford DC, DeBerardino TM, Williams RJ 3rd. NeoCart, an autologous cartilage tissue implant, compared with microfracture for treatment of distal femoral cartilage lesions: an FDA phase-II prospective, randomized clinical trial after two years. J Bone Joint Surg Am. 2012 Jun 6;94(11):979-89. doi: 10.2106/JBJS.K.00533.
[5] ibid
