K. Wong (Singapore, SG)

Sengkang health, Singhealth Department of Orthopaedic Surgery
​Assistant Professor Francis Wong Keng Lin is an Associate Consultant in Department of Orthopaedic Surgery; Assistant Professor in Duke-NUS Graduate Medical School; Clinical Lecturer in NUS Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine; Clinical Teacher in NTU Lee Kong Chian School of Medicine; and Clinical Physician Faculty Member of the Singhealth Orthopaedic Surgery Residency Programme. He graduated as the pioneer resident in the Clinician Scientist Track from NUHS Orthopaedic Surgery Residency Programme; clinching the Best Senior Resident Award 3 consecutive years in a row. He was also the Chief Resident in his residency programme and was part of the nation-wide Singapore Chief Residency Programme (SCRP) in 2014-2015 (Cohort 2). He completed his Masters of Clinical Investigation (MCI); and is pursuing a part-time PhD in NUS; after receiving the National Medical Research Council (NMRC) Research Training Fellowship (RTF). He is currently investigating the use of Mesenchymal Stem Cells (MSC) exosomes as a cell-free injectable therapy for chondral defects of the knee and has published his translational research in a top-tiered Orthopaedic Surgery journal; Arthroscopy. Asst Prof Wong is active in both basic; translational; and clinical research; and has published more than 45 peer reviewed journal articles to date. He won the Singapore Orthopaedic Association Young Orthopaedic Investigator's Award in 2013 and currently holds several national level grants; including the NMRC New Investigator Grant (NIG). His clinical interests are in sports medicine and sports surgery; in particular cartilage regeneration and restoration; where he became the very first Fellow of the International Cartilage Regeneration & Joint Preservation Society (ICRS) from South-East Asia. As a testimony of the quality of his clinical care; Asst Prof Wong is an award recipient of the Singapore Health Quality Service Awards (SHQSA) in 2020. In terms of wound healing; Asst Prof Wong has a special interest in healing complex wounds using innovative technologies; including limb salvage surgery for diabetic foot wounds. He has written more than 10 peer-reviewed articles and 2 book chapters related to the diabetic foot; including novel techniques for wound coverage and clinical cohort studies that look into different ways of wound healing with different negative pressure wound therapy products. He is currently the programme leader of the hospital's multi-disciplinary orthopaedic surgery wound and lower limb salvage service: Team Orthopaedic Podiatry (TOP); where nurses; doctors; and podiatrists come together to heal difficult wounds and give patients a new lease of life to walk again.

Presenter Of 1 Presentation

 ICRS 2022 - Online Programme
Podium Presentation Stem Cells

12.2.7 - Intra-Articular Mesenchymal Stem Cell Exosomes and Hyaluronic Acid Therapy Promotes Functional Osteochondral Repair in a Porcine Model

Presentation Topic
Stem Cells
Date
13.04.2022
Lecture Time
17:15 - 17:24
Room
Potsdam 3
Session Name
12.2 - Progenitor Cells & EVs
Session Type
Free Papers
Speaker
Authors
Disclosure
Keng Lin Wong, 3M-KCI, Paid honorarium for speaker

Abstract

Purpose

We had previously reported the efficacy of human mesenchymal stem cell (MSC) exosomes in repair of critical-size osteochondral defects in rats and rabbits. To enable clinical translation of MSC exosomes, we proposed a validation of the efficacy of MSC exosomes in a large animal model.

Methods and Materials

Bilateral osteochondral defects (6mm diameter and 1mm depth) were surgically created on the medial femoral condyles of 24 knees in 12 micropigs. Immediately after surgery and at days 8 and 15 post-surgery, 6 micropigs in exosome/HA group received sequential administration of 1mg exosomes in 1ml phosphate-buffered saline (PBS) followed by 1ml hyaluronic acid (HA; Synvisc®) in both knees, whereas the other 6 micropigs in the HA group received 1ml of PBS followed by 1ml HA in both knees. Except for MRI performed on day 15, 2 and 4 months, macroscopic, histological, biomechanical, and micro-CT assessments were performed at 4 months.

Results

At 4 months, exosome/HA-treated defects had significantly higher MRI scores than that for HA-treated defects at day 15 (4.46 vs 3.63; P=0.017), 2 months (7.83 vs 5.79; P=0.023) and 4 months (9.25 vs 6.71; P=0.024). Exosome/HA-treated defects also had significantly better ICRS macroscopic score (9.22 vs 7.25; P=0.008) and ICRS II histological score (79.71 vs 65.10; P=0.032) than HA-treated defects. The mean Young’s moduli of exosome/HA-treated defects were higher than that of HA-treated defects in the defect periphery (19.92 vs 5.50MPa; P=0.003) but modestly in the defect centre (15.17 vs 3.53MPa; P=0.119). Micro-CT analysis revealed structural improvements in the subchondral bone with significantly higher BV/TV and Tb.Th in exosome/HA-treated defects than in HA-treated defects. Importantly, no adverse responses or systemic alterations were observed.

Conclusion

MSC exosomes and HA combination administered at a clinically acceptable frequency of three intra-articular injections promote osteochondral repair with significantly improved morphological, histological, and biomechanical outcomes in a clinically relevant porcine model.

Collapse

Meeting Participant Of

 ICRS 2022 - Online Programme
Glienicke Board Room (18) ICRS Committee Meeting

NextGen Committee Meeting

Session Type
ICRS Committee Meeting
Date
13.04.2022
Time
15:45 - 16:45
Room
Glienicke Board Room (18)
Moderators
Meeting Participant