Damaged joint cartilage often fails to heal due to the absence of an intrinsic regenerative response in this part of the body. Octane’s matrix-associated autologous chondrocyte implants compensate for this by using the body’s own cells to trigger cartilage repair. Our goal is to automate production of these cartilage cell implants with the Cocoon bioreactor.

We draw on our deep knowledge of biomaterials and cell-substrate interactions to create composites that trigger a positive cellular response in the body while avoiding a negative reaction. For example, we combined our proprietary Octane Skelite calcium phosphate bioceramic with polyether ether ketone — a thermoplastic polymer — to invent Octane HyperPEEK, an extra strong advanced biocomposite with unique bioactivity that enhances implant integration over time.

Through our Octane Exo venture, we used HyperPEEK to build Octane Exo Spinal, a next-generation spinal implant that promotes surface-to-core integration and intervertebral strength and stability with in-bone growth.

We continue to explore further performance enhancement with HyperPEEK through the addition of recombinant proteins, synthetic peptides and active cells.

We’re building tomorrow’s living implants today through patient-scale tissue engineering in our Cocoon tissue therapy production system. Through our Octane Orthobiologics venture, we’re developing advanced technologies and processes for producing organic tissue implants from the patient’s own cells.

We apply our deep expertise in process engineering, process automation and Good Manufacturing Practices to take production of clinical systems to the next level. Our Octane Clinical Systems venture partnered with Jubilant Life Sciences to manufacture next-generation radioisotope patient infusion lines for RUBY-FILL, the most advanced Positron Emission Tomography (PET) delivery system for diagnosing soft tissue diseases.

We recognized early on — as far back as the late 1990s — the need for patient-scale production of cellular therapy products. So our founders collaborated with like-minded innovators to invent Cocoon, a patient-scale, turnkey cell therapy system that forms the core of a series of versatile cell and tissue therapy production systems. Coupled with our advanced bioreactors and innovative cell scaffolds, Cocoon opens up an array of clinical applications for cell treatments.
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We advanced Cocoon through our Octane Biotech venture, which partnered in 2016 with Lonza Group in Switzerland to further innovate and commercialize Cocoon across multiple therapeutic applications, with particular emphasis on clinical use in immunotherapy applications.

The human body’s innate bioelectricity has long been harnessed in medicine to promote healing, albeit with limited understanding of the science behind the outcomes. The scientists and technologists in our Octane Innovations venture are now exploring the body’s built-in power to stimulate cellular pathways, and innovating towards AI-powered diagnostic and therapeutic applications. We welcome partnerships that can help advance our work in this exciting field.