Athletes could be a step closer to being able to beat the dreaded career-ending ACL tear after Orthocell's tendon research grant was extended.
The Australian Research Council awarded the bio-therapeutic company a further $430,000 to continue its project growing human tendons in laboratories.
The company had a scientific breakthrough in 2014 when it successfully made complete human tendons outside the human body in a world first.
"We're the first in the world to have a licence to regenerate human tendons," Orthocell managing director Paul Anderson said.
Damaged tendons are usually replaced by stripping another tendon from the patient's body which can cause mobility problems down the track.
By using donated human tissue to grow tendons, the new technology avoids weakening any other parts of the body because replacement tendons come from the lab, not from the patient.
With more than 150,000 ACL ruptures occurring the US alone every year, thousands of injured people could benefit from the developments.
"We've already treated over 300 patients in clinical trials in Australia and in the Asian region," Mr Anderson said.
Tendon building blocks are extracted and isolated from donated tissue, then using a bio reactors the cells are grown into a juvenile tendon.
Aside from ACL tears, Orthocell is investigating additional tendon replacement targets in the hand, shoulder and hamstring.
Orthocell will continue to develop their human tissue regeneration project in collaboration with Griffith University, University of WA and La Trobe.
Shares in Orthocell closed 1.5 cents higher at 39.5 cents.
Share
