BioArctic AB, a public Swedish biopharma company, recently announced that they received allowance of a patent application directed to a method of promoting axonal regeneration using a biodegradable spinal cord device. The medical device is said to be a component of BioArctic’s SC0806 product for treatment of complete spinal cord injury. The allowed claims are directed toward “selecting a spinal cord device” having certain geometric characteristics, “positioning peripheral autologous nerves in … through channels,” and implanting the device in an injured spinal cord. The device is said to be soakable in a solution of FGF1 growth factor prior to implantation. BioArctic reports to have received corresponding patents in China and Australia.

According to BioArctic, despite considerable research into bridging spinal cord gaps, no product is yet available on the market.  BioArctic states that the SC0806 spinal cord product is currently undergoing Phase 1/2 clinical trials in Sweden and was granted orphan drug status in the European Union and the United States, qualifying the product for 10 and 7 years of market exclusivity, respectively. The product received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 Research and Innovation Program, the EU’s largest public investment program for research and innovation, comprising an €80 billon investment over 7 years, culminating in 2020.

According to BioArctic, in addition to developing treatments for complete spinal cord injury, its research focuses on disease modifying treatments and reliable biomarkers and diagnostics for neurodegenerative diseases, such as Alzheimer’s disease and Parkinson’s disease, for which AbbVie has agreed to develop and commercialize BioArctic’s Parkinson’s antibody portfolio. European Biotechnology rated BioArctic’s €71.8 million IPO as one of Europe’s most successful in 2017.