Celularity Announces Presentation at Upcoming 7th International Conference on Orthopedics

Data will be presented from an in vitro study of decellularized-flowable placental connective tissue matrix supporting cellular functions of human tenocytes

FLORHAM PARK, N.J., June 29, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Celularity Inc. (Nasdaq: CELU) (Celularity), a biotechnology company developing placental-derived allogeneic cell therapies and biomaterial products, announced today that the Company will present data from a new product technology in development for orthopedic applications at the upcoming 7^th International Conference on Orthopedics, July 19^th – 20^th in Rome.

These data, which will be presented in an oral session entitled, “A Decellularized Flowable Placental Connective Tissue Matrix Supports Cellular Functions of Human Tenocytes In Vitro,” summarize Celularity’s recent benchtop studies indicating the potential therapeutic application of decellularized flowable placental connective tissue matrix (DF-CTM) for tendon repair.

Tendon injuries are associated with considerable pain and disability. Tendon healing is controlled by tenocytes, a main tendon cell type, and their surrounding extracellular matrix, and is orchestrated through three multifaceted, overlapping stages, namely inflammatory, proliferative, and remodeling.

Due to the hypovascularity and hypocellularity of the tendon tissue, natural tendon healing is slow and ineffective, and traditional conservative and surgical treatment options fail to address the underlying pathology. As a result, the healed tendon often is mechanically incompetent and prone to degeneration and rupture. Therefore, new methods are required to facilitate tendon repair and regeneration. Celularity’s hypothesis is that DF-CTM could provide structural and biochemical matrix components for tenocyte attachment, proliferation, and phenotype maintenance while decreasing inflammatory response.

Celularity’s in vitro study tested tenocyte adhesion, proliferation, migration, phenotype maintenance, and inflammatory response when cultured on Celularity’s decellularized flowable placental CTM. Tenocyte proliferation and migration were significantly higher for DF-CTM than the control cultures (p = 0.005). In tenocytes cultured on DF-CTM, gene expressions indicative of tenocyte phenotype maintenance significantly increased over time (p < 0.001), including expressions of Scleraxis (SCX), a marker for differentiated tendon cells, Tenascin-C (TNC), an important factor in collagen fibril organization, Collagen type I (COL1A1), and Collagen type III (COL3A1). In tenocytes cultured on DF-CTM, the effects of TNF-α, an inflammatory cytokine, were diminished as indicated by significantly reduced expression of proinflammatory cytokines CXCL8 (p = 0.024) and MMP1 (p < 0.001). Over time, tenocytes cultured on DF-CTM promoted the expression of antifibrotic growth factor TGFβ3.