Dr Hsieh Dar-Jen, Founder and CEO of ACRO Biomedical, introduced some of the latest advances in tissue engineering and regenerative medicine at a roundtable luncheon on 24 April. 

ACRO, a Taiwan-based company, has developed “scaffolds” from pig-derived products that can be used in treatments ranging from cornea transplants to cartilage regeneration. 

The most widely used scaffold – and perhaps the most familiar to the layman – is collagen, which is found throughout the body, in skin, muscle and bone. “Scientists often refer to collagen as the glue that holds our body together,” Hsieh said.

In the past, extracting collagen was not an easy process and often caused damage. ACRO has developed a method using supercritical CO2 (ScCO2).

“This will dissolve anything in the scaffold except collagen, and will leave the collagen intact.”
He explained that their ScCO2 method can be used on any type of tissue to create scaffolds. The scaffolds can then be used in a wide range of medical treatments, including bone grafts, wound dressings and dermal fillers.

ACRO specializes in using porcine products such as skin and cornea. Hsieh explained that after the ScCO2 treatment, porcine bone is very similar to human bone, so can more easily be used in patients. To date, the company’s porcine bone-derived products have been approved for orthopedic use in the United States and Taiwan, and for dental implants in Taiwan.

One of the most eye-catching developments has been the successful use of porcine cornea in transplant. Hsieh introduced the audience to photographs of a pet dog called Bunny, whose sight was restored after a successful cornea transplant. 

“This is the first case of canine cornea transplant in the world,” he said. “It is a very important contribution in the field.”

Advances in this area are particularly important in Asia, he added, as many people are reluctant to donate their corneas. “Human clinical trials are being carried out in Taiwan and Australia, so hopefully we can cure some blind people very soon.”

The ultimate goal is to use this technology to do organ reconstruction and make customized organs.
“This is not fantasy, it is not science fiction. We expect this project to be done within the next five to ten years.”

These advances mean that we should start preparing for a society where people live to far beyond 100, perhaps even to 120.

Hsieh’s talk provided a timely insight into the potential of the industry at a time when the Hong Kong government has turned the spotlight onto the sector. In his recent Budget Statement, Finance Secretary Paul Chan highlighted biotechnology as one of four key areas for development.

Hsieh noted that developments in the sector do not come cheap. “It is a very money-burning industry,” he said. “So we need a lot of funding support for our R&D.” 

However, he added, it is also a very fast-growing sector. “In 2016 it was worth US$30 billion, but is expected to grow to US$80 billion by 2021.”

This growth is due to the shortage of tissue and organs around the world. According to the World Health Organization, organ transplants are currently meeting less than 10% of global need. If companies like ACRO can create products to meet this demand, then investment should pay off in the long term.