Embodiments of the present invention relate to mechanically-activated microcapsules (MAMCs) for controlled drug-delivery, wherein the MAMCs release one or more active ingredients in response to mechanical stimuli in a subject's body. The MAMCs provide a platform for stimulating biological regeneration, biological repair, modifying disease, and/or controlling disease in mechanically-loaded musculoskeletal tissues.

A method of producing an osteoinductive composition for in vivo use, in which the method includes obtaining bone tissue; cleaning the bone tissue with a plurality of washes; milling, grinding, and/or cutting the cleaned bone tissue into a plurality of bone pieces or fibers of a desired size; and demineralizing the plurality of bone pieces or fibers of a desired size to expose one or more native bone proteins, with demineralizing including combining the plurality of bone pieces or fibers in a reaction vessel with an ionic acid solution, soaking the plurality of bone pieces or fibers in the ionic acid solution, and exposing the one or more native proteins in the bone pieces or fibers.

Provided herein is a placental product comprising an immunocompatible chorionic membrane. Such placental products can be cryopreserved and contain viable therapeutic cells after thawing. The placental product of the present invention is useful in treating a patient with a tissue injury (e.g. wound or burn) by applying the placental product to the injury. Similar application is useful with ligament and tendon repair and for engraftment procedures such as bone engraftment.

A pharmaceutical composition is provided that is useful to enhance the repair of articular cartilage, to treat a joint injury or to prevent, inhibit or treat osteoarthritis in a mammal. The composition may include an effective amount of an isolated protein that is a chemoattractant for chondrogenic progenitor cells and/or an effective amount of an isolated protein that is a chondro genic factor or a nucleic acid sequence that encodes a chondrogenic factor.

The present invention provides anti-Activin A antibodies, and antigen-binding fragments thereof, as well as methods of use of such antibodies, or antigen-binding fragments thereof, for treating a subject having pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH).

Embodiments herein described provide antigen-presenting cell-mimetic scaffolds (APC-MS) and use of such scaffolds to manipulating T-cells. More specifically, the scaffolds are useful for promoting growth, division, differentiation, expansion, proliferation, activity, viability, exhaustion, anergy, quiescence, apoptosis, or death of T-cells in various settings, e.g., in vitro, ex vivo, or in vivo. Embodiments described herein further relate to pharmaceutical compositions, kits, and packages containing such scaffolds. Additional embodiments relate to methods for making the scaffolds, compositions, and kits/packages. Also described herein are methods for using the scaffolds, compositions, and/or kits in the diagnosis or therapy of diseases such as cancers, immunodeficiency disorders, and/or autoimmune disorders.

The disclosure relates to a tissue adhesive for use in a treatment method in which an ophthalmological implant is implanted in a human or animal patient and the ophthalmological implant is connected, at least partially in an integrally bonded manner, to eye tissue of the patient via the tissue adhesive. The disclosure also relates to an ophthalmological implantation system including an ophthalmological implant for implantation in a human or animal eye and to a tissue adhesive via which the ophthalmological implant is connectable, at least partially in an integrally bonded manner, to eye tissue of the patient.

A method of treating a subject having a musculoskeletal disorder includes administering to a subject's articular site in need thereof an effective amount of a hyaluronic acid (HA) composition. In one embodiment, the HA composition includes an HA derivative, wherein carboxyl functionalities of the hyaluronic acid derivative are each independently derivatized to include an N-acylurea or O-acyl isourea, or both N-acylurea and O-acyl isourea. In another embodiment, the HA composition includes a crosslinked HA gel that is prepared by reacting an uncrosslinked HA with a biscarbodiimide in the presence of pH buffer in a range of between about 4 and about 8. The composite can optionally include at least one second bioactive agent other than the HA derivative, such as a steroid.

A method of treating a subject having a musculoskeletal disorder includes administering to a subject's articular site in need thereof an effective amount of a hyaluronic acid (HA) composition. In one embodiment, the HA composition includes an HA derivative, wherein carboxyl functionalities of the hyaluronic acid derivative are each independently derivatized to include an N-acylurea or O-acyl isourea, or both N-acylurea and O-acyl isourea. In another embodiment, the HA composition includes a crosslinked HA gel that is prepared by reacting an uncrosslinked HA with a biscarbodiimide in the presence of pH buffer in a range of between about 4 and about 8. The composite can optionally include at least one second bioactive agent other than the HA derivative, such as a steroid.

An implantable or injectable scaffold comprising immunostimulatory compounds and a suppressor of regulatory T cell induction is provided for use in immunotherapy treatments, including the treatment of cancers and other tumors, in particular solid tumors including inoperable tumors, as well as for other applications of immune enhancement and/or suppression.