Novosteo, startup affiliated to Purdue University is showing technology to repair bone fractures faster and with greater benefit for a patient.
One in three adults aged 60 or older who suffer a hip fracture dies within a year. Now, a startup affiliated with Purdue University is moving closer to starting clinical trials for a new injectable drug that quickly heals and repairs broken bones, and strengthens weak ones.
La discovery made at Purdue, NOV004, by Novosteo Inc. is unique in that it is concentrated at the site of fractures while reducing exposure to the rest of the body.
Novosteo
Novosteo, the startup that develops the drug, was co-founded by the father-son team Philip S. Low e Stewart A. Low. The treatment was developed in Low's laboratory in the Purdue Institute of Drug Discovery. There are currently 288 clinical studies performed or under treatment using medical treatments developed by Purdue at 4.841 sites worldwide.
Scott Salka, who recently joined the startup as executive president, will use his 28 years of experience as an entrepreneur in the biotechnology field to help Novosteo transfer his innovations from the laboratory to clinical studies and, finally, in the hands of doctors and patients.
“We have been working on some fantastic solutions with people truly dedicated to making a difference in reducing mortality and improving the quality of life for our aging population”Salka said. “We have completed preclinical studies with NOV004 and are looking to advance it to clinical trials later this year.”
Novosteo is already examining future use of the targeted injectable drug for other applications, including dental implants, head and facial fractures, and hip and knee replacements. Additionally, Novosteo has a range of medicines to treat a number of musculoskeletal diseases. Salka will present some of the technology at Biocom's Global Life Sciences Partnership Conference this month in La Jolla, California.
Novosteo: more strength to the bones
Novosteo was founded to reduce the morbidity, mortality and loss of productivity associated with bone fractures.
Based on the discoveries of agents that accelerate bone regeneration and innovations in methods to selectively target these agents to fractured surfaces, Novosteo has designed a series of targeted drugs.
Compounds that concentrate the healing power of the drug specifically at the fracture site, greatly speeding up and improving the healing process.