Histogenics NeoCart Cartilage Therapy Found Promising In OHSU Study Crawford To Report Data At ICRS Meeting

Main Category: Bones / Orthopaedics
Also Included In: Sports Medicine / Fitness
Article Date: 28 Sep 2007 - 14:00 PDT

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Histogenics' NeoCart® neocartilage implant is safe and shows promise, according to Dennis Crawford, MD, PhD, of Oregon Health & Science University (OHSU) in a presentation at the International Cartilage Repair Society Annual Meeting (ICRS) in Warsaw, Poland on September 30, 2007.

Crawford, assistant professor of orthopaedics and surgical director for Sports Medicine & Cartilage Reconstruction, OHSU, will report on an FDA Phase I safety trial of seven patients treated with NeoCart at OHSU and followed for two years. All patients showed good cartilage fill and integration with surrounding cartilage, and all experienced pain relief. Knee joint function was improved in six of the seven patients. Advanced MRI techniques showed that the NeoCart treatment had resulted in the formation of true hyaline cartilage in four of the seven patients.

NeoCart is a novel autogenous neocartilage implant grown using the patient's own cartilage cells seeded onto a collagen matrix. A patented, high-pressure tissue engineering processor is said to produce more natural neocartilage than other techniques. In addition, the NeoCart system includes a novel bioadhesive which makes implantation quick and easy.

"This novel therapy may very well replace microfracture to become the next primary treatment for cartilage injury to the knee," said Crawford. "Patients are getting pain relief for at least two years, the technology can be applied via a simple out-patient procedure and it appears by our best radiographic methods to mature and stabilize over time."

Crawford is a member of the Histogenics Scientific Advisory Board.

About Histogenics

Histogenics develops and manufactures products that improve the body's ability to regenerate healthy cartilage, improve joint function and prevent degenerative disease. Formed in 2000, the company takes an interdisciplinary approach to engineering neocartilage that looks, acts, and lasts like hyaline cartilage. It is developing new treatments for sports injuries and other orthopedic conditions, where demand is growing for long-term alternatives to joint replacement. Histogenics has successfully completed Phase I clinical trials, and begun Phase II trials in which the NeoCart® implant's effectiveness is compared to that of standard microfracture surgery. Trials for the VeriCart(TM) matrix are planned to begin in early 2008. Based in Waltham, Massachusetts, the company is privately held. Major investors include Boston Millennia Partners, Foundation Medical Partners, Takagi Sangyo and Stryker Corporation.

http://www.histogenics.com