The Mayo Clinic has teamed up with materials science company W.L. Gore & Associates to develop implantable cell therapies for incurable diseases, the Rochester, Minn.-based health system announced Dec. 10.
The for-profit joint venture, named Avobis Bio, will combine Mayo Clinic's cell therapy and clinical expertise with Gore's decades of experience creating and commercializing biopharmaceutical products and medical devices. Gore is perhaps best known as the developer of Gore-Tex fabric.
Avobis Bio launched with a focus on developing a stem cell-based regenerative treatment for perianal fistulas, a condition associated with Crohn's disease that has few existing treatment options and can lead to life-threatening complications. A phase 1 clinical trial led by Mayo Clinic researchers and Gore materials science experts has already produced promising results: More than 75 percent of patients experienced healing after one year of treatment, according to the announcement.