What is cell therapy?
Cell therapy is the infusion, injection or transplantation of whole cells back into a patient for treatment of a condition. In autologous therapy the patient is the source (donor) of their own therapy. With the patient acting as their own donor, the risk of rejection and the use of immunosuppressive therapy is minimized.
How does autologous cell therapy work?
The goal of cell therapy is to repair or restore damaged tissues using cells. For our therapies, tissue from the patient is collected by a qualified and trained surgeon, and then processed and expanded by Vericel into a specific cell type or multicellular therapy. The patient’s own cells are then returned to the surgeon for implantation.
Our process
Vericel uses a proprietary cell-processing technology to expand naturally occurring populations of cells derived from the patient’s own tissue. Specific to the type of therapy needed, a small sample of tissue is taken from the patient. The sample is then sent to our laboratory in Cambridge Massachusetts for cellular expansion. Rigorous testing ensures the quality and viability of cells before they are delivered back to health care professionals. These cells, in conjunction with rehabilitation regimes, have demonstrated the ability to restore function to patients with serious medical conditions.
Vericel markets two advanced cell therapy products in the U.S.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved MACI (autologous cultured chondrocytes on porcine collagen membrane) for the repair of symptomatic, full-thickness cartilage defects of the knee in adult patients. MACI is the first FDA-approved product that applies the process of tissue engineering to grow cells on scaffolds using healthy cartilage tissue from the patient’s own knee. Knee problems are common and occur in people of all ages. Cartilage defects in the knee can result from an injury, straining the knee beyond its normal motion, or can be caused by overuse, muscle weakness, and general wear and tear.

Epicel is a cultured epidermal autograft (CEA) — a skin graft grown from a patient’s own skin. These grafts provide skin replacement for patients who have deep dermal or full thickness burns comprising a total body surface area of greater than or equal to 30%. From 2 postage stamp-sized biopsies, Vericel can grow enough skin to cover the patient’s entire body.
Patents
This section is intended to serve as notice under 35 U.S.C. § 287(a) of various United States patents associated with the products listed. The products and patent numbers shown may not be all-inclusive. Other patents may protect both the products listed and other products commercialized by Vericel Corporation. Additional patents are pending.
Granted patents and published U.S. patent applications may be viewed at the United States Patent and Trademark Office website.
Published international patent applications may be viewed at the World Intellectual Property Organization website.
MACI
- 10,011,811
- 8,029,992
- 8,709,711
- 8,216,778
- 6,150,163