We plan to revolutionize the treatment of Avascular Necrosis (AVN) of the hip, using our patented stem cell therapy, which allows patients to keep their own hip joint. This method of treatment avoids long-term debilitating treatments and multiple surgeries, and allows patients to have a more active life and stay in the workforce. We’re already using this treatment in Ukraine with great success.
AVN of the hip is a disorder that causes bone tissue in the femoral head to break down. In the early stages the patient suffers pain, and at later stages may completely lose the ability to walk. Painkillers, electrical stimulation, grafts and osteotomies are all used to treat AVN, but today there is no completely successful treatment. Eventually the femoral head collapses, and surgical intervention with a total joint implant and prosthetic replaces the entire femoral head and acetabular joint. After total joint replacement surgery, each patient is considered disabled; over time, they may also come to need a second replacement surgery.
We have developed a revolutionary stem cell technology to treat AVN of the hip. We take adult stem cells from our patients with minimal discomfort, replicate them in the laboratory, remove the diseased section of the femoral head, inject the cells back into the body, and they do the job of growing new bone tissue.
Read our technology paper for more details.
“The work by the Ukrainian team is remarkable, and really gives us a leg up in the FDA approval process. Because of the clinical work they’ve already done, we’re in a different position from somebody who just came up with an idea in the U.S. and is starting from scratch. We have a better idea about how to approach the U.S. clinical trials, which translates into a better chance of success.”
— Dr. Duran Yetkinler, ilaya’s partner in the U.S. venture