StemCell Therapy

Innovator David Ku Age 61 Professor of mechanical engineering and engineering entrepreneurship at Georgia Tech; surgeon

Form and functionCartiva implants are made of polyvinyl alcohol, the main ingredient of contact lenses, and mimic natural cartilage to treat arthritis. Unlike the current standard of caremetal plates fused with jointsthey allow for a full range of motion.

A diagram of a metal plate.

OriginResearch on blood flow required Ku and his students to create material for artificial blood vessels. The company they formed to further develop the material was acquired by Carticept MedicalInc. in 2008 and spun off as Cartiva Inc. in 2011.

FundingCartiva has raised $35million from New Enterprise Associates, Windham Venture Partners, and private investors.

OpenAfter opening a patients joint to be treated, an orthopedic surgeon bores a hole in one of the bones of the joint.

PlantThe surgeon inserts a compressed Cartiva implant into the hole, where it expands to remain firmly in place without fasteners.

Source: Cartiva

MarketU.S.-based orthopedic surgeons can use a $4,500 kit from Cartiva to treat arthritis in the big toe. The kit includes a -inch implant, a drill, and tools for compressing and inserting the implant.

Next StepsIts certainly transformative, says Judy Baumhauer, an orthopedics professor at the University of Rochester Medical Center. With this advance, we have an implant that doesnt wear out or cause more troubles. Cartiva Chief Executive Officer Tim Patrick says the company is seeking Food and Drug Administration approval to implant the cartilage in thumbs, and Ku is working on other applications for his implants, including as replacement blood vessel valves.

Go here to read the rest:
This Synthetic Cartilage Can Give Arthritis Sufferers a Full Range of Motion - Bloomberg

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