Key achievements
OUR STORY
We founded CarthroniX to see our science enable healthier aging, restore human health and as a result, improve quality of life. Scientific premise for this development is based on major scientific discoveries made at Professor Evseenko’s laboratory at UCLA and later at USC.
Our collaborative scientific journey started by trying to define molecular mechanisms of diseases, such as osteoarthritis; this work has blossomed into the discovery of a wide range of compounds (drugs) that can activate stem cells in the body and also modulate the connection between pro-inflammatory and pro-regenerative signaling. This completely novel mode of action unlocks an unparalleled opportunity to activate regeneration of tissues and organs, especially during aging when natural healing mechanisms slow or stop. Current results have been published in top peer-reviewed journals and highlighted in multiple press releases. In addition to private funding this work was funded from the National Institutes of Health, Department of Defense. The most important highlights and applications of the technology is outlined below.
Osteoarthritis
Osteoarthritis is one of the most prominent medical and social problems of the modern society affecting nearly half of the aged population in the developed world.
This is a complex disease driven by chronic inflammatory and degenerative mechanisms involving the immune system, stromal tissues of the joint capsule and also cartilage cells. Cartilage cells form a highly specialized layer in the synovial joints such as the knee, and these cells have very limited regenerative capacity further decreasing with aging. Our studies using cells, and also small and large animal models of osteoarthritis and posttraumatic joint injury, showed a strongly significant decline in degenerative process when animals were treated with our drugs; moreover, we were able to definitively demonstrate regeneration of already-damaged and degraded tissues.
Chronic pain
The Lead Compounds developed by CarthroniX can efficiently reduce chronic pain.
The effect is based on modulation of signaling induced by Interleukin 6 cytokines in the nerves; chronic pain is often associated with continuous release of these cytokines from degenerating tissues. In studies on large animals, we were able to show that injecting a very low dose of the compounds significantly reduced pain levels in animals after massive posttraumatic joint destabilization. The magnitude of pain relief was nearly 10 times higher than the effect of the compounds on structural tissues like joint cartilage suggesting a very significant potential for pain reduction even when treated with extremely small doses of compounds. This mode of action offers a significant advantage when compared to addictive opioid analgesics and can be utilized in the form of topical creams in conditions like joint pain in arthritis, tendinitis or chronic back pain.
Skin Regeneration
Compounds developed by CarthroniX has been extensively studied using topical applications.
Strikingly, not only did they prevent fibrosis and negative outcomes of wound healing, but also demonstrated a direct and potent effect on stem cells in the skin driving re-epithelization and activation of stem cells via metabolic reprogramming of the latter. Application of high doses combined with formulations for deep skin penetration showed massive effect on stem cells in hair follicles, representing a reserve pool of cells for wound healing. Together, these findings form a foundation for applications like burns and associated fibrosis and scarring, and non-healing wounds in patients with immunocompromised conditions such as diabetes.
Neuro-Degenerative Disorders
Average human life span has dramatically increased over the last 50 years.
Currently, it became clear that with aging, viability of nearly all tissues decline and release of toxic factors from those degenerating tissues and dying cells induces a phenomenon called inflammaging or a chronic systemic inflammatory process further accelerating dysfunction of the key organs such as the brain. Inflammaging also programs our immune cells to reduce their defensive potential and even damage normal cells such as neurons in the brain. It becomes especially prominent in conditions like the Alzheimer’s disease. One of the prominent markers of inflammaging is IL-6, and our studies have shown that compounds operated by Carthronix can protect neural cells from inflammaging and potentially slow down or prevent Alzheimer’s disease.