InVivo Therapeutics Inc. is back on track with a second primate study, just a month after filing a lawsuit against its former contract research facility.
CEO Frank Reynolds told MassDevice in an email that the Cambridge, Mass.-based spinal tissue regeneration developer’s second primate study is already eight weeks in, having begun on August 20. Reynolds said the company went back to St. Kitts Biomedical Research Facility in St. Kitts, U.S. Virgin Islands, the site of its initial primate study back in 2007.
“We are thrilled with the study so far,” Reynolds wrote.
Back in September, InVivo, an early-stage medical device company that’s working on treatments for severe spinal cord injuries using implantable polymers, filed suit against Oregon Health & Science University, alleging that the CRO’s negligence caused a flubbed primate study of the treatment.
Several monkeys had to be euthanized during the trial, according to court filings, because of bladder infections they developed after undergoing surgical procedures to sever their spinal cords and have InVivo’s device implanted.
InVivo claimed that the setback cost the company more than $500,000 and significantly derailed its plans, to the point that the firm may be in serious jeopardy, according to court documents.
OHSU vigorously denied the allegations.
“We take issue with everything,” said spokesman Jim Newman, who sent us a list refuting each of InVivo’s accusations one by one. The lab denied allegations that it failed to provide enough monkeys for the study and put the blame for halting the surgeries on InVivo surgeons.
Alexander Furey, an attorney for InVivo, said the case is still moving forward and they are awaiting a response from OHSU.
For his part, Reynolds wrote that the primate study is using the “same exact study protocol” used during the OHSU study and that “everything is fantastic.”
