Accepted Patent Contains Claims Covering Methods of Combining Fibroblasts, Platelet Rich Plasma, and Nucleus Pulposus Conditioned Media to Regenerate Cartilage and Improve the Condition of Degenerated and Aged Discs
HOUSTON, Oct. 14, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- FibroBiologics, Inc. (Nasdaq: FBLG) ("FibroBiologics"), a clinical-stage biotechnology company with 270+ patents issued and pending with a focus on the development of therapeutics and potential cures for chronic diseases using fibroblasts and fibroblast-derived materials, today announced that IP Australia has issued a Notice of Acceptance for Australian Patent Application No. 2024200985, titled "Cellular Blend for the Regeneration of Chondrocytes or Cartilage Type Cells."
The accepted application contains claims directed to methods of generating chondrocytes or chondrocyte-like cells and repairing or regenerating cartilage in a degenerated spinal disc by delivering fibroblasts together with platelet rich plasma and components of the nucleus pulposus, including nucleus pulposus conditioned media. A Notice of Acceptance, the Australian equivalent of a notice of allowance, indicates that IP Australia has completed its examination of the application and that the patent application is expected to proceed to grant following publication.
The intervertebral disc depends on the nucleus pulposus, the gel-like core of the disc, to retain water and distribute mechanical load across the spine. In a healthy disc, the nucleus pulposus is populated by notochordal cells, chondrocyte-like, and fibroblast-like cells that produce proteoglycans, aggrecan, and collagen. As the disc degenerates, these cells decline in number, matrix production falls, and the disc loses hydration and height, all of which contribute to chronic lower back pain and loss of function. Most available treatments manage symptoms or rely on surgery rather than restoring the cellular makeup of the disc itself. The methods described in the accepted application are designed to recreate the cellular and biochemical environment of a healthy disc by delivering fibroblasts and platelet rich plasma together with components of the nucleus pulposus, including conditioned media, so that new chondrocytes or chondrocyte-like cells can form and rebuild cartilage within the disc.
Key highlights of the accepted claims include:
- A method of generating chondrocytes or chondrocyte-like cells by providing to a degenerated disc one or more components from the nucleus pulposus, including nucleus pulposus conditioned media, together with a composition comprising fibroblasts and platelet rich plasma, including the utilization of transforming growth factor beta-1 (TGFB1), notochordal cells, small chondrocyte-like cells, collagen fibrils, proteoglycans, and aggrecan;
- A method of improving the condition of an aged disc by providing a cell blend comprising fibroblasts and platelet rich plasma that reflects the cellular composition found in a disc that has not begun the degenerative process, optionally supplemented with stem cells, adipocytes, notochordal cells, or other supporting cell types.
"A healthy disc is not a single cell type. It is a community of cells working together in a very specific environment," said Pete O'Heeron, Founder and Chief Executive Officer of FibroBiologics. "This patent protects the idea of rebuilding that community rather than replacing one piece of it. By combining fibroblasts and platelet rich plasma with the signals naturally present in the nucleus pulposus, we give the disc the ingredients it needs to generate new cartilage-forming cells. Coming only weeks after our European grant covering platelet rich plasma conditioned fibroblasts, this acceptance in Australia continues to extend the global protection around our disc degeneration program and the broader fibroblast platform."
For more information, please visit FibroBiologics' website, email FibroBiologics at [email protected] or follow FibroBiologics on LinkedIn, YouTube, Facebook or X.
About FibroBiologics
Based in Houston, FibroBiologics is a clinical-stage biotechnology company developing a pipeline of treatments and seeking potential cures for chronic diseases using fibroblast cells and fibroblast-derived materials. FibroBiologics holds 270+ US and internationally issued patents/patents pending across various clinical pathways, including wound healing, multiple sclerosis, disc degeneration, psoriasis, orthopedics, human longevity, and cancer. FibroBiologics represents the next generation of medical advancement in cell therapy and tissue regeneration. For more information, visit www.FibroBiologics.com.
Cautionary Statement Regarding Forward-Looking Statements
This communication contains "forward-looking statements" as defined in the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements include information concerning the scope and strength of the Company's intellectual property portfolio, the expectation that the patent application will proceed to grant following publication, the potential indications for FibroBiologics' programs, FibroBiologics' research and development programs, and the potential clinical benefits of fibroblasts and fibroblast-derived materials. These forward-looking statements are based on FibroBiologics' management's current expectations, estimates, projections and beliefs, as well as a number of assumptions concerning future events. These forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance, conditions or results, and involve a number of known and unknown risks, uncertainties, assumptions and other important factors, many of which are outside FibroBiologics' management's control, that could cause actual results to differ materially from the results discussed in the forward-looking statements, including those set forth under the caption "Risk Factors" and elsewhere in FibroBiologics' annual, quarterly and current reports (i.e., Form 10-K, Form 10-Q and Form 8-K) as filed or furnished with the SEC and any subsequent public filings. Copies are available on the SEC's website, www.sec.gov. These risks, uncertainties, assumptions and other important factors include, but are not limited to: (a) risks related to FibroBiologics' liquidity and its ability to maintain capital resources sufficient to conduct its business; (b) expectations regarding the initiation, progress and expected results of FibroBiologics' R&D efforts and preclinical studies; (c) the unpredictable relationship between R&D and preclinical results and clinical study results; and (d) the ability of FibroBiologics to successfully prosecute its patent applications. Forward-looking statements speak only as of the date they are made. Readers are cautioned not to put undue reliance on forward-looking statements, and FibroBiologics assumes no obligation and, except as required by law, does not intend to update, or revise these forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events, or otherwise. FibroBiologics gives no assurance that it will achieve its expectations.
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SOURCE FibroBiologics, Inc.
