September 26, 2011. Rocky Hill, Conn.,– Connecticut Innovations (CI), the state’s quasi-public authority responsible for technology investing and innovation development, today announced that it has made a follow-on investment of $750,000 in Soft Tissue Regeneration Inc. (STR) of New Haven, Conn., through its Eli Whitney Fund. This investment is part of a round of up to $2.5 million led by CI and Philadelphia-based MentorTech Ventures II LP. Other investors in this round include the New Haven branch of LaunchCapital and individual investors.

“This investment will allow STR to continue its successful animal studies

and begin European clinical trials in September 2012,” explained Joseph W.

Reilly, president, chief executive officer and co-founder of STR. He further

stated, “The team at CI has been invaluable in supporting STR’s activities

as partners in developing our technologies in Connecticut.”

STR is advancing a breakthrough technology to treat anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injuries. The company’s patented and proprietary technology, exclusively licensed on a worldwide basis from Drexel University, addresses many issues associated with autografts (tissue transplanted from one part of a patient’s body to another) and allografts (tissue transplanted from a cadaver). STR’s product, the L-C Ligament®, is a biocompatible and degradable synthetic braided scaffold that is surgically attached to the femur and tibia bones when replacing the patient’s torn ACL. The scaffold stabilizes the knee and facilitates the regeneration of ligament tissue – ultimately resulting in faster, improved healing. With an estimated 800,000 ACL reconstruction surgeries performed annually around the globe and an active, aging population, there is a strong and growing market for STR’s product. Reilly was pleased to announce that, for the first time, STR recently demonstrated the complete regeneration of a native, natural and load-carrying ACL using a degradable synthetic polymeric construct.

“Since relocating to Connecticut two years ago, STR has made significant

strides in advancing its groundbreaking orthopaedic technology,” said Peter

Longo, president and executive director of CI. “We are encouraged by the

trials conducted to date and have great confidence in the company’s talented

group of executives, scientists and board advisors.”

The company’s scientific team is led by its scientific founder Cato T. Laurencin, M.D., Ph.D. Dr. Laurencin is director of the Institute for Regenerative Engineering at the University of Connecticut Health Center and the chief executive officer of the Connecticut Institute for Clinical and Translational Science. An orthopaedic surgeon and engineer, he was recently designated a University Professor by the Board of Trustees at University of Connecticut.

STR is also leveraging its technology platform to develop a suite of complementary follow-on products that will facilitate the regrowth of other injured ligaments and tendons, including a recently developed biodegradable rotator cuff augmentation device.

Russell Tweeddale, CI managing director of investments, will continue to represent CI on STR’s board of directors

February 11, 2011 - Dr. Cato T. Laurencin, Scientific Founder of Soft Tissue Regeneration, Inc has been elected to the prestigious National Academy of Engineering. Laurencin is an internationally prominent orthopaedic surgeon and bioengineering expert.

Election to the NAE is among the nation’s highest professional distinctions accorded to an engineer.

Elected to the Institute of Medicine of the National Academy of Sciences in 2004, Laurencin is among an elite group -- representing approximately 7 percent of the National Academy of Engineering’s total membership -- elected to two National Academies. He is among a group of 68 new members elected to the NAE. The announcement singled out his work in biomaterials science, drug delivery, and tissue engineering involving musculoskeletal systems, as well as for his academic leadership.

“This is a true honor for me,” Laurencin said. “I am humbled to be elected to the academy and am deeply grateful to my mentors, colleagues, students and patients who have inspired me through the years.”

Laurencin’s career has followed a dual path in orthopaedic surgery and engineering. He has pioneered advances in tissue and regenerative engineering and focused on applications to help patients regain mobility and strength. His research involves tissue engineering, biomaterials science, drug delivery systems, nanotechnology and stem cell science. At UConn, he is a distinguished professor of Orthopaedic Surgery and Chemical, Biomolecular and Materials Engineering, as well as a professor of Biomedical Engineering.

A fellow of the American Surgical Association, the American College of Surgeons, and the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons, Laurencin has been recognized by America’s Top Doctors, America’s Top Surgeons and Black Enterprise Magazine in its Leading Doctors Edition. He has won the prestigious Nicholas Andry Award from the Association of Bone and Joint Surgeons.

Connecticut Innovations Makes $500,000 Investment in Soft Tissue Regeneration Inc. http://www.ctinnovations.com/news/439.php

February 4, 2009. The President and CEO of Soft Tissue Regeneration, Inc., Mr. Joseph W. Reilly, has been selected to present at the Corporate Venture Capital Summit http://youngstartup.com/corporate09/overview.php at the British Consulate in Cambridge, MA on February 24, 2009.

The 2009 Corporate Venture Capital Summit, now in its fifth year, has become recognized as the premier venue for venture capitalists, Startups and Corporate Development Officers to meet, interact and network with leading Corporate VCs and Strategic Investors.

More than 24 leading VCs will speak at the Summit. These top-tier venture investors will discuss: VC investment trends, strategies for investing in early stage ventures, strategies for finding and accessing capital, what they look for in early stage companies, the kinds of companies they find most attractive, and the do's and don'ts in structuring deals.

February 3, 2009.  Mr. Joseph W. Reilly, the President and CEO of Soft Tissue Regeneration, Inc. has been selected to present at the Wharton Health Care Conference  http://www.whcbc.org/index.asp on February 20, 2009, at the Park Hyatt at the Bellevue, Philadelphia, PA.

The Wharton Health Care Business Conference, started in 1996, is a leading health care forum for industry professionals, academics, and students. The annual two-day event typically attracts over 700 attendees across the nation. These individuals represent a diverse set of sectors, from suppliers (pharmaceuticals, biotech, and medical devices) to healthcare delivery and services, as well as a broad range of functions, from marketing to business development to investors.

This Year's Theme: Catalyzing Change will explore how companies and individuals are staying ahead of the curve through proactively leading change in an increasingly dynamic field. Example topics include the convergence of pharmaceutical and biotechnology, medical device industry globalization, health care reform with a new political administration, and the challenges associated with financing in a constrained economy.

July 23, 2008 - ESPN - 7 things You Should Know About by Dr. James Andrews, Soft Tissue Regeneration Board Member. 

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April 22, 2008 – Herndon, Va. – The Center for Innovative Technology (CIT) today announced that CIT GAP Funds is leading an investment round in Soft Tissue Regeneration, LLC (STR), a medical device company based in Earlysville, VA, that develops synthetic scaffolds to encourage tissue regeneration. Links: [HTML] [Word Document]