Biotech frontier

The Medical University of South Carolina’s tissue engineering program has received a $1 million National Aeronautics and Space Administration grant, according to Vladimir Mironov, chairman of MUSC’s Shared Tissue Engineering Laboratory. The grant will help bolster research on cardiovascular tissue engineering, which involves repairing damaged heart tissue by injecting rejuvenating cells into the tissue rather than performing bypass surgery. Mironov says such a tissue-engineering procedure could have the patient in and out of the hospital within a day.

“Some analysts estimate tissue engineering to be a potential $400 billion market,” claims Mironov. “The tissue engineering industry could be the most profitable of the 21st century.”

And Charleston could become one of the more profitable players, Mironov emphasizes. With tissue engineering companies like Cardiovascular Tissue Technologies Inc. and Organ Recovery Systems Inc. already here, plus MUSC’s ongoing efforts in the field, the Holy City could become a Silicon Valley of biotechnology.