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Autologous Conditioned Serum in the Treatment of Orthopedic Diseases

The Orthokine® Therapy

  • Novel Therapeutic Strategies
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Abstract

The common strategies for the treatment of patients with orthopedic diseases do not address the underlying pathogenesis. Several biologically based, local therapies aiming to influence the cytokine imbalance are either in development or in the initial stages of clinical use. A method based on exposure of blood leukocytes to pyrogenfree surfaces (e.g. glass spheres) elicits an accumulation of anti-inflammatory cytokines, including interleukin-1 receptor antagonist, and several growth factors, including insulin-like growth factor-1, platelet-derived growth factor, and transforming growth factor-β1, in the liquid blood phase. Based on these observations, a new therapy using cell-free, autologous conditioned serum (ACS) from the incubation of whole blood with glass spheres was developed. The injection of ACS into affected tissue (s) has shown clinical effectiveness and safety in animal models and studies, as well as in human clinical studies, for the treatment of osteoarthritis, lumbar stenosis, disc prolapse, and muscle injuries.

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Notes

  1. The use of trade names is for product identification purposes only and does not imply endorsement.

  2. Actovegin® and Traumeel® are complex biologic preparations and there is no generic name for the active ingredients.

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Acknowledgments

Prof. Dr Wehling is one of the inventors of the Orthokine® procedure. He works as an orthopedic surgeon at the Centre for Molecular Orthopaedics in Duesseldorf, Germany. He is CEO of Orthogen AG, Duesseldorf, which holds patents for the described technology. He holds stock in Orthogen AG. Prof. Dr Wehling was not involved in the reported randomized clinical trials.

Dr Moser carried out the GOAT study (knee ACS study) as an employee of the Heinrich-Heine University, Department of Orthopaedics in Dusseldorf, Germany in collaboration with Dr Axel Baltzer, S. Jansen, and Prof. Dr Krauspe. Currently he works at Orthogen AG, Duesseldorf, Germany.

Dr Reinecke is one of the inventors of the Orthokine® procedure. He works as a molecular biologist and managing director at Orthogen Veterinary. He holds stock in Orthogen AG, Duesseldorf.

The human knee OA trial was funded by Orthogen AG, Dusseldorf. Equine study undertaken at Colorado State University was funded by Arthrex, USA and Orthogen, Germany.

Drs Frisbie, McIlwraith, and Kawcak received funding from Arthrex, USA and Orthogen AG, Germany for the Equine study in the experimental model of osteoarthritis in horses. Prof. Dr Krauspe received a consultant fee in the initiating period prior to the start of the knee OA study from Orthogen AG, Germany.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Centre for Molecular Orthopaedics, Koenigsallee 53-55, D-40212, Düsseldorf, Germany

    Peter Wehling

  2. Orthogen AG, Düsseldorf, Germany

    Peter Wehling & Carsten Moser

  3. Department of Orthopaedics, Heinrich-Heine University Düsseldorf, Düsseldorf, Germany

    Carsten Moser & Ruediger Krauspe

  4. Department of Clinical Sciences, Equine Orthopedic Research Center, College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, Colorado, USA

    David Frisbie, C. Wayne McIlwraith & Christopher E. Kawcak

  5. Orthogen Veterinary GmbH, Düsseldorf, Germany

    Julio A. Reinecke

Authors
  1. Peter Wehling
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  2. Carsten Moser
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  4. C. Wayne McIlwraith
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  5. Christopher E. Kawcak
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  6. Ruediger Krauspe
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  7. Julio A. Reinecke
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Correspondence to Peter Wehling.

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Wehling, P., Moser, C., Frisbie, D. et al. Autologous Conditioned Serum in the Treatment of Orthopedic Diseases. BioDrugs 21, 323–332 (2007). https://doi.org/10.2165/00063030-200721050-00004

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