Cook Biotech, CorMatrix Cardiovascular Announce Agreements Related to Engineered Tissue Technologies

Exclusive Biomaterials Agreement Enables Cook Biotech and CorMatrix to Develop Cardiovascular Devices

West Lafayette, Ind. - Cook Biotech Incorporated and CorMatrix Cardiovascular Incorporated are pleased to announce a recently established cross-license agreement. The companies have entered into an agreement to encourage the development of certain cardiovascular medical devices using proprietary extracellular biomaterials held by each company.

CorMatrix, an Atlanta, Ga., tissue-engineering and medical device manufacturing company, will develop products for repair of the heart. CorMatrix's potential products include cardiac patch applications for adult and pediatric heart defect repair, myocardial grafts to treat congestive heart failure, as well as applications to stimulate myocardial angiogenesis.

"CorMatrix is focused on the research and development of a proprietary group of extracellular matrix materials for the treatment of cardiac tissue diseases. We are excited about the addition of Cook's widely-used biomaterials to our existing technology platform and believe that Cook Biotech's experience in the manufacture of these materials should greatly enhance our development efforts", said Beecher Lewis, President and COO of CorMatrix.

Extracellular Matrix (ECM) as a Scaffold for Tissue Engineering
The proprietary extracellular matrix (ECM) biomaterials that are the basis of this cross-license agreement are biological substrates that guide cell growth and act as tissue scaffolds, to support tissue specific remodeling --that is restoring both form and function to injured tissues. Remodeling occurs over time as the implant is replaced by host tissue.

"Cook Biotech is actively working to provide a selection of well characterized ECM biomaterials for use in tissue-engineered medical products. We believe CorMatrix is an excellent partner to fully utilize our ECM tissue scaffolds as a basis for new products for cardiovascular applications," said Dennis Abbott, Director of Business Development at Cook Biotech.

One of the ECM scaffolds, derived from the porcine small intestinal submucosa (SIS), is presently being used for numerous medical and surgical procedures. Thousands of patients have been treated with the SIS scaffolds for wounds, hernias and various other soft-tissue injuries.

CorMatrix Cardiovascular, Inc. ("CorMatrix"), a Georgia Corporation, has been created to research, develop, manufacture and market, naturally-occurring extracellular matrix products for cardiovascular applications.

COOK Biotech Incorporated (www.cookbiotech.com), a COOK Group company, located in West Lafayette, Indiana, was established in 1995 to research, develop and manufacture products based on extracellular matrix (ECM) technology. COOK Biotech is actively developing ECM and scaffold-based biomaterials for numerous medical purposes. Medical products utilizing COOK's patented ECM technology are currently marketed worldwide for use in wound management and surgical repair of soft tissue. Together with a network of medical practitioners, COOK Biotech is identifying the medical needs most compatible with ECM technology and developing products to meet these needs.

News Media Contacts:

Madia Milks
Corporate Communications Coordinator, Cook Biotech
(765) 807-1928, milks@cookbiotech.com

Dave McCarty
Director Public Relations, Cook Group
(812) 339-2235, ext. 2387, dmccarty@cook-inc.com

Beecher Lewis
President & COO, CorMatrix Cardiovascular, Inc.
(850) 508-0100, beecher@cormatrix.com

 back |  top