The Innovation Quarter is redefining the face of downtown Winston-Salem in more ways than one. Of course, there are the renovated tobacco factories and a parking lot turned park. But the Innovation Quarter is also attracting top researchers, leaders and organizations in the inspired field of regenerative medicine. These experts develop exhilarating ideas that save lives by replacing, engineering and regenerating cells, tissues and organs. Their work is transformative and—in some cases—literally out of this world.
Here are some regenerative medicine companies whose pioneering advancements in Winston-Salem are saving lives worldwide.
Axiom Space
You may be asking—what does space travel have to do with regenerative medicine? Axiom Space is harnessing the gifts of the galaxy to improve lives and make medical breakthroughs. Led by a world-class team of specialized experts, Axiom makes low Earth orbit and the power of microgravity accessible to researchers.
Microgravity provides a promising environment for innovation and problem-solving, and research conducted in the weightlessness of Earth’s orbit has led to groundbreaking discoveries in medicine. Current areas of opportunity include enhanced protein crystallization and 3D bioprinting of reproducible human tissue and whole organs—both of which are made possible through the wonders of microgravity.
Axiom believes that human progress doesn’t stop at the horizon—and it’s just getting started here in Winston-Salem.
Images from Axiom Space Instagram
BMI OrganBank
With the COVID-19 pandemic revealing staggering weaknesses in the global supply chain, BMI OrganBank’s cutting-edge critical care and organ care devices have been addressing urgent medical needs while promoting a strong U.S.-based biomedical supply chain.
BMI OrganBank is a multiple award-winning developer of medical devices that offers customized and industry-standard pre-clinical transitional research services in regenerative medicine and tissue engineering, among other fields. BMI OrganBank focuses on building American capacity to provide life-saving services instead of relying on international sources for biomedical and biopharma products. With headquarters in Denver, NC, the Innovation Quarter was an ideal location for a laboratory.
RTT Medical
Another newcomer to the Innovation Quarter, RTT Medical is reframing how people traditionally think about wound care treatments using groundbreaking regenerative tissue technologies.
RTT Medical has developed a proprietary blend of extracellular matrix (ECM) materials derived from a multi-tissue platform to support fast and effective wound healing. Each ECM tissue source contains a unique combination of biomolecules, which means that multiple components work together to facilitate healing and repair. This approach saves time in the healing process and is effective even for very severe wounds.
Images from RTT Medical website
MiMedx
Every wound tells a story, and for those suffering from chronic, hard-to-heal wounds, the future can feel hopeless. To solve this prevalent problem, MiMedx, a therapeutic biologics company, pioneered the processing and use of dehydrated amniotic tissue to create human placenta-based tissue allografts. Their allografts are used in wound care, burn care and various surgical applications. MiMedx is also conducting clinical trials to explore possible applications in osteoarthritis, plantar fasciitis and other degenerative musculoskeletal conditions.
MiMedx’s products empower patients and allow them to regain control and normalcy in their lives. With the company’s continuous focus on advancing treatment options, they are a natural fit in the Innovation Quarter.
Images from MiMedx website
Advanced Technologies for Better Life
The Innovation Quarter’s resources, researchers and laboratory spaces are attracting the brightest medical thinkers from across the globe, including the researchers at Advanced Technologies for Better Life (ATEMs). A South Korean company with a global vision for supporting patients, ATEMs’ products bring hope to those with cartilage defect disease.
ATEMs uses tissue engineering technology to develop advanced regenerative medical therapeutics and advanced biomedical devices. ATEMs’ therapies and devices address many persistent musculoskeletal system and joint issues that conventional treatment methods cannot solve.
What’s Bringing Regenerative Medicine Companies to the iQ
The Wake Forest Institute for Regenerative Medicine (WFIRM) and the RegenMed Development Organization (ReMDO) are two trailblazing institutions that call the Innovation Quarter home and serve as foundational collaborators in the space. These nonprofit organizations offer resources, equipment, lab space, expertise, mentoring and potential partnerships for regenerative medicine start-ups and established companies alike. They are creating an environment of mutual discovery and synergy that is helping translate scientific discoveries into clinical therapies.
Calling the Innovation Quarter Home
The Innovation Quarter offers expansive office and lab space, development sites and a focus on collaboration and networking in an intellectual ecosystem of like-minded visionaries in regenerative medicine. This combination makes the Innovation Quarter the ideal environment for regenerative medicine companies who are disrupting conventional thinking and expanding the limits of what science can do to improve patients’ lives.
The Future of Regenerative Medicine Is in Winston-Salem
Winston-Salem’s Innovation Quarter represents the convergence of ideas, research, resources and expertise. The resulting innovation ecosystem fosters developments in regenerative medicine that are transforming clinical treatments and therapies.
