Collagen & Connective Tissue Components for Cell Culture, Research and Cosmetics

BSE Risk-Management

The risk of transmitting Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy (BSE or TSE) - Mad Cow Disease –
through the use of our animal collagen products has been very carefully evaluated.

On the basis of studies concerning the BSE infectivity of different types of tissue of BSE infected
animals, prion feeding animal studies, international committee recommendations, and local
and international standards and authorities we have decided in favor of a combination of the best
safety levels available.

According to these studies, recommendations, standards and authorities, MATRIX BioScience
collagen products do not pose a risk for the following reasons :

1.    Age of Animals:   

BSE has never been observed in bovine animals younger than 17 months of age. This has been
verified both in BSE infected animals in their natural setting and in animals which were infected
experimentally during BSE-feeding studies. BSE is a disease of old age - similar to other prion
associated brain diseases in animals and humans.

MATRIX BioScience collagens are extracted and purified from healthy bovine calves 6 months
of age or younger.

2.    Type of Tissue Selected :   

When studying the infectivity rate of different organs and tissues of animals which died as a
result of BSE/TSE, various degrees of infectivity rates were found in different types of animal
organs and tissue. 

However, no BSE/TSE infectivity was found in the dermis (and in a few other tissues) of
animals which died of BSE/TSE.
 

These results were confirmed by later experimental feeding studies, when young bovine calves
were fed highly infective BSE brain tissue. The BSE disease manifested itself in later stages of their
lives.

However, when different organs and tissues of these BSE diseased animals were tested for BSE
infectivity, again no infectivity was found in the bovine dermis (and in a few other tissues, such
as muscle tissue) 

MATRIX BioScience collagens are extracted from the dermis of healthy bovine calves 6 months
of age or younger.

3. Country of Origin :

We are importing and using animal tissue from New-Zealand or Australia for other collagen
products and matrix component products derived from organs and tissues other than bovine
dermis, preferably from healthy bovine calves 6 months of age or younger.