Zimmer & ISTO to commence human trials of Neocartilage graft:
This article was originally published in Clinica
Executive Summary
Zimmer and ISTO Technologies have received investigational new drug (IND) approval in the US for Neocartilage, a living tissue-engineered graft for the repair of cartilage defects. The IND covers the restoration of joint function and relief of pain in the knee. The approval will allow the firms to proceed with human clinical trials of the product. Neocartilage was developed by St Louis, Missouri-based ISTO, which in 2002 granted exclusive marketing and distribution rights to Zimmer. The two companies have since collaborated on pre-clinical trials of the product. Neocartilage is a grown from juvenile chondrocytes (cartilage cells), using ISTO's proprietary cell-based platform technology.