Company
Quality is our business
TETEC was founded as a limited liability company (in Germany, “GmbH”) in 2000 – the year that heralded the advent of the biotech age. The “TE” stands for Tissue Engineering, an activity which involves the body’s own tissue as a replacement for healing purposes. “TEC” stands for the innovative technologies through which we fulfill our ambition to achieve maximum product quality and safety, combined with pioneering quality criteria.
With NOVOCART® 3D, NOVOCART® Inject and NOVOCART® Disc, we set new benchmarks in the biotechnology industry. Others are sure to follow, as our interdisciplinary research team of renowned scientists and consultants continues its work to develop new procedures for the treatment of complex damage and diseases affecting the human skeletal and locomotor systems.
TETEC is led by specialists drawn from a wide range of disciplines who bring with them in-depth knowledge of cellular and molecular biological science, coupled with pharmacological expertise. A subsidiary of Aesculap AG, we guarantee you an outstanding distribution network and work actively to share our knowledge with you through professional user training and support.
Management
Our strength is our expertise
Our team is organized into the areas of manufacturing, research and development. The involvement of doctors, cell and molecular biologists, pharmacologists and biochemists guarantees that our products are developed, tested and manufactured by highly qualified personnel from the first to the very last step. Our corporate structure allows for maximum flexibility and the provision of interdisciplinary expertise, not just in the development and manufacturing process, but also throughout our customer service activities.
TETEC was converted into a joint-stock company (in Germany, “AG”), in 2003.
Its management is led by Dr. Detlef Schumann, Dr. Sebastian Braun-Lüdicke and Dr. Christoph Gaissmaier.
Research and development
Every day closer to our goal
TETEC AG operates an extensive research & development program together with a number of prestigious national and international cooperation partners from the worlds of hospitals, universities and industry.
Injectable and “intelligent” biomaterials
Working together with our partners, we have developed a highly compatible injectable and in situ polymerizable biomaterial with intelligent properties. A hydrogel, it has many advantages, including anti-inflammatory, vessel- and bone-inhibiting and hydraulic properties. Together with defined cell populations and other regeneration promoters, it can be used under minimally invasive conditions for cartilage and, in particular, disc regeneration. The biomaterial fixes the cells in the defect area, increasing their survival rate through environmental conditioning and additionally addressing a series of concomitant pathologies regularly observed with intervertebral disc regeneration. In addition, it serves as a modifiable platform technology for the development of further therapeutic approaches in the area of regenerative medicine. The biomaterial is already being used today in suitable indications under the product name NOVOCART Inject, for purely arthroscopic ACT treatments.
Mesenchymal stem cells
New markers and methods for the identification and purification of adult mesenchymal stem cells (MSC) for biological cartilage and bone reconstruction are currently being explored in a separate development project. Within this project, one particularly interesting sub-population of mesenchymal stem cells has been identified which indicates high regenerative potential and which can also be differentiated from chrondrogenic cells, that is cells with cartilage or disc properties. Through further analysis, we have been able to show that, even among older patients, MSCs can still be isolated in sufficient quantities and quality using suitable methods. The results of this study were sufficiently promising to merit the Young Investigator Award of the Osteoarthritis Research Society International (OARSI).
Treatment of degenerative cartilage damage
Given the knowledge that over 200 million people worldwide are affected by degenerative skeletal diseases, that in Europe and the USA combine a total of almost two million arthroscopic operations are carried out each year, and that approximately 35,000 knee endoprostheses are implanted each year, there remains much to do if we are to intervene on a meaningful scale in remedying such problems. Our medium-term aim is to be able to reliably treat even major cartilage damage brought about by degenerative changes. We have already taken a significant step in the right direction by developing NOVOCART® 3D and our intelligent biomaterials. Combining these two biomaterials should allow for an extension of the indication to the regeneration of degeneratively caused cartilage damage.
Meniscus and biological bone replacement
Working in conjunction with our cooperation partners, we have developed a new active (in vitro) or passive (in vivo) colonizable biomaterial for partial or full meniscus replacement. This procedure is expected to further improve the chances of retaining the knee joint.
Learn more about
Biphasic support material
Biphasic support material for NOVOCART®3D, developed by TETEC and its partners
TETEC and its partners have developed an absorbable, collagen-chondroitin sulfate-based support material for carrier-based ACT.
The support material consists of an enveloping membrane and a sponge lying beneath it with pores arranged like columns up to the surface (A and B: photographs taken with a microscope and a scanning electron microscope). Membrane and sponge are bound together firmly. The sponge specially developed for human chondrocytes has an interconnecting pore structure with defined pore sizes. The sponge can be adapted to homogenous three-dimensional cell distribution (C). During the manufacture of the transplant, the biphasic support material is combined with additional physiological matrix components of the hyaline cartilage Following the seeding of phenotypically stable human chondrocytes in the biphasic matrix, the regeneration of hyaline cartilage tissue takes place (D: safranin-O coloring).
The support system was researched and continuously adapted prior to launch in extensive in vitro and in vivo studies to maximize its suitability for the transplantation of human cartilage cells. The extraordinary properties of the biphasic matrix – in particular when compared to other commercially available biomaterials for ACT – have since been confirmed by a number of respected working groups.
The raw materials used in the manufacture of the support are of bovine origin and procured from DIN EN ISO 9001-ceritied suppliers, guaranteeing the absence of BSE and materials traceability.
User training courses
We offer intensive user training courses. Our workshops enable you to familiarize yourself with the latest technology and discuss indications, advantages and disadvantages with our experts, both within and beyond the realm of autologous cartilage cell transplantation.
Job Offers
Find out about job opportunities and current vacancies at the expensive TETEC AG.
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