BioTissue Announces Study that Demonstrates Cryopreserved Amniotic Membrane Graft Reduces Recurrence After Pterygium Surgery

535 patient study shows cryopreserved amniotic membrane can provide better clinical outcomes and is an excellent alternative to conjunctival autograft

Miami, November 27, 2017 – BioTissue, Inc.^®, a business unit of TissueTech^™, Inc., announced today study findings, published in Cornea, 2017, show that the use of cryopreserved amniotic membrane reduces recurrence rates after pterygium surgery.

In this retrospective review, 556 eyes representing 535 patients (291 males 244 females), who had pterygium excision (527 primary, 29 recurrent) were treated with adjunctive cryopreserved amniotic membrane (Amniograft^®, BioTissue, Inc. Miami FL). After 17.3 ± 0.8 months (range 6-74 months), corneal recurrence occurred in only 20 eyes (3.6%) and conjunctival recurrence in 12 (2.2%) eyes, for a total recurrence rate of 5.8%.

“This recent study is further evidence that cryopreserved amniotic membrane provides an excellent alternative to conjunctival autograft to reduce surgery time, save conjunctiva, promote faster recovery and reduce the pterygium recurrence” said Scheffer C.G. Tseng, MD, PhD, Chief Technology Officer, TissueTech. “The unique extracellular matrix components, including Heavy Chain Hyaluronic Acid/Pentraxin-3 complex (HC-HA/PTX3), that are found in cryopreserved amniotic membrane have been shown to orchestrate regenerative healing and suppress pain associated with inflammation. In turn, this can expedite patient recovery and help achieve superior cosmetic outcomes.”

Amniograft is manufactured using BioTissue’s proprietary CryoTek^® technology, which has been proven to preserve the innate biological and structural properties of the amniotic membrane matrix. The components of this matrix have been demonstrated to support regenerative healing. Pterygium surgery with Amniograft is simpler and shorter compared with conjunctival autograft, as it eliminates the need for preparing an autograft of sufficient quality and thinness for optimal grafting.

About BioTissue

BioTissue, a business unit of TissueTech, Inc., develops and markets regenerative therapies that allow eye care professionals to advance the standard of care for treating the ocular surface. Its core products include cryopreserved amniotic membrane and umbilical cord-based tissue with innate therapeutic actions scientifically proven to heal the ocular surface. The Company’s proprietary CryoTek preservation method ensures the tissue retains its biologic activity and healing components. To date, more than 300,000 allografts have been transplanted collectively by BioTissue and sister company Amniox Medical, Inc.