Osteoarthritis remains a challenging condition to manage. The underlying causes are many, complex, and interrelated.

 

Gradual erosion of cartilage and degeneration of surrounding structures leads to growing symptoms of pain and impaired mobility. Treatment regimens are largely focused on controlling pain, with no real curative option currently available. Disease progression will often lead to total joint replacement.

 

Since osteoarthritis is frequently associated with a thinning of the synovial fluid, hyaluronic acid (HA) injections are used to restore its viscoelastic properties. Despite positive patient responses to some HA formulations, the product category is not universally considered a first line option due to the relatively short effect time and high cost compared to painkillers.

 

The core reason limiting the duration of effectiveness of HA is its rapid natural turnaround time in synovial fluid. In a healthy joint, HA is constantly produced and degraded by a specific enzyme called hyaluronidase. This enzyme causes injected HA to be rapidly eliminated. This effect is mitigated somewhat in crosslinked formulations, leading to slightly prolonged therapeutic benefit, but the dynamic is fundamentally unaltered.

 

Oligo Medic is conceiving of an alternative to HA injections with fundamentally longer residence time, designed for effective and long-lasting lubrication of joints under abrasive stress.

 

Oligo Medic is currently completing pre-clinical validation of its Lomu™ formulation. This innovative, patent-pending product design combines glycogen, an exceptional single-molecule nanoparticle known as one of the best natural lubricating materials, crosslinked with Carbosan®, a versatile and rugged derivative of chitosan, serving as the gel backbone.

 

Unlike HA, there is no natural enzyme mediating the rapid degradation of Carbosan®.