Ortholevo is developing
Sustained-release relaxin:
A single joint injection with lasting efficacy to treat joint stiffness and restore full motion
Freedom from fibrosis
Freedom from fibrosis
What is joint stiffness?
What is joint stiffness?
The clinical need
The clinical need
Joint stiffness (arthrofibrosis, adhesive capsulitis) is a painful impairment on the functioning of a joint.
When occurring in the shoulder, it's known as
Frozen shoulder
Frozen shoulder
and it can be debilitating.
Effective treatments for shoulder stiffness are severely lacking. Typically, patients "wait it out" for the 6-12 months it takes for frozen shoulder to resolve, and in many cases - stiffness remains.
Patients need a treatment that will address the fibrosis in the joint, to provide faster, fuller recovery.
Relaxin is a peptide hormone present in all women and men, and is especially upregulated during pregnancy, wherein it is known to loosen joints via its antifibrotic mechanism.
We have shown that our patented sustained-release formulations of relaxin are effective at treating joint stiffness in preclinical studies.
Our solution
Sustained-release relaxin
Ortholevo is a grant-funded therapeutics startup spun out of Boston University and Harvard Medical School (Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Boston, MA), in the preclinical stage of developing locally-acting, injectable treatments for fibrotic diseases.
Our focus is on improving the musculoskeletal health of patients with various joint conditions.
About Ortholevo
About Ortholevo
Our Team
Development Team
>Experienced leaders in orthopedic and sustained-release therapeutics
Development Team
>Experienced leaders in orthopedic and sustained-release therapeutics
Scientific Founders
>Disruptive inventors with successful exits
Scientific Founders
>Disruptive inventors with successful exits
Experienced in design, conduct, and supervision of orthopedic clinical investigations. Diverse background in biomechanics, gait analysis, and clinical & regulatory affairs. PhD in Applied Clinical Research, University of Texas Southwestern, and MS in Biomedical Engineering, Université de Lorraine, France.
Drug delivery biomedical engineer with expertise in microparticle technologies for sustained-release drug products. Industry experience in new venture creation, management consulting, and cross-functional drug development. MS in Biomedical Engineering, University of Pittsburgh.
Distinguished Professor of Translational Research at Boston University. Co-invented the $1B anti-cancer drug Abraxane (Abraxis BioScience acquired for $2.9B in 2010 by Celgene); founded Hyperbranch Medical Technology (acquired for $200M in 2018 by Stryker Inc.).
Associate Professor of Orthopedic Surgery at Harvard Medical School, with expertise in biomechanics and animal models of orthopedic conditions and their treatments. Spinouts from his lab include Statum Systems, Verispellis, Osty Meditech, and Argenos Biomedical.
Chief of Orthopedic Surgery at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, and Chair of the Harvard Medical School Orthopedic Trauma Initiative. 20 years experience in clinical management of orthopedic trauma and resulting conditions, and basic research into soft tissue mechanics and joint pathologies.
Our Partners
>Five product development grants totaling $6M
>Five product development grants totaling $6M