On Sept. 1, the Steadman Philippon Research Institute (SPRI) was awarded a $962,977 contract from the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) for a year-long clinical study into improving treatments for osteoarthritis and other musculoskeletal conditions. The study will focus on the use of microscopic particles in the body, known as extracellular vesicles, and be conducted at SPRI’s lab in Vail as well as its Linda & Mitch Hart Center for Regenerative and Personalized Medicine (CRPM) laboratory in Basalt.
Extracellular vesicles are essential for cell-to-cell communication in the body, and SPRI’s research team hypothesizes they can play a critical role in joint repair. Specifically, the team intends to examine how extracellular vesicles derived from a patient’s own blood and bone marrow can assist in the joint healing process.
“An important initiative for SPRI and CRPM has been expanding our innovative regenerative therapeutics research to our Basalt SPRI lab” said Dr. Johnny Huard, CRPM director and SPRI’s chief scientific officer. “The extracellular vesicles project is a perfect fit for our research team there, including Aspen Medical Director Dr. Jared Lee and pain management physician Dr. Dustin Anderson.” Under Dr. Huard’s leadership, Dr. Lee, Dr. Anderson and Laboratory Operations Coordinator Greta Gohring will conduct the clinical study in Basalt.
This clinical study marks the third contract the DoD has awarded SPRI, and the sixth project SPRI has performed with DoD funding. Much of SPRI’s other funding comes from grants from the National Institute of Health, as well as philanthropy. While the institute’s research timelines differ case by case, many projects begin as an independently funded pilot study. If a pilot study proves promising, it can provide the basis for an application for funding through the DoD.
The DoD — rebranded as the “Department of War” in a presidential executive order on Sept. 5, but yet to be ratified by Congress — commonly allocates funding to medical research through Congressionally Directed Medical Research Programs (CDMRP). Founded in 1992, in order to support both the military and the public, CDMRP funds research for conditions ranging from Alzheimer’s to cancer.
“This award from the DoD is another testament to the groundbreaking work happening in our SPRI labs, both in Vail and now in Basalt,” said Marc J. Philippon, MD, chairman of SPRI and managing partner of The Steadman Clinic.
SPRI’s Basalt laboratory was opened in April of 2022 with a goal of expanding the institute’s clinical studies to the Roaring Fork Valley. While patients of the Steadman Clinic have long been eligible to participate in SPRI’s research, patients of the Aspen location once had to make the drive to SPRI’s lab in Vail. The Basalt laboratory enables patients to engage with SPRI’s research within their community.
Much of SPRI’s research is performed through collaborations, with partners ranging from the Shaw Cancer Center in Edwards to the Oslo Sports Trauma Research Center in Norway. The Basalt lab embodies SPRI and the Steadman Clinic’s symbiotic relationship, epitomized by a large glass window through which visitors to the clinic can have a look at SPRI’s research in real time. The building itself was constructed in partnership with Aspen Valley Hospital, Vail Health, the Steadman Clinic and Orthopedic Care Partners.
SPRI’s regenerative medicine research focuses on how the body can be used to heal itself. In a different clinical trial, SPRI is examining how injecting a solution derived from the patient’s own bone marrow into reconstructed ACL tissue can potentially accelerate healing.
Eligible patients with osteoarthritis can participate in the new extracellular vesicles treatment technique in conjunction with other treatments. Participants will be orally administered a dietary supplement and/or an FDA-approved drug in order to test how these substances may alter the composition of extracellular vesicles, and whether these changes could be directed to reduce inflammation and fibrosis in osteoarthritic patients. This current study expands on SPRI’s previous studies examining oral interventions in osteoarthritis.
Depending on the research outcomes, the study could solidify the effectiveness of extracellular vesicles-based regenerative therapy for a wide variety of conditions beyond osteoarthritis. SPRI hopes the research will help pave the way for novel extracellular vesicles treatments which could improve the lives of millions suffering from joint pain.