Unmet Medical Need:  Higher quality osteochondral allografts from organ donors are needed to meet clinical demand, and patients typically have to wait three to four months for grafts to become available.  

Envisioned Healthcare Product:  ECHON is an off-the-shelf, single surgery cartilage restoration product that will help restore function in younger and active patients.  ECHON are created from cartilage cells that can be expanded and preserved so that numerous grafts can be created from a single donor, cells can be selected for optimal graft properties, and grafts can be created for any needed size and fit.

Stage of Development:  Validation

Awarded Coulter Funding in 2014

January 2016 Article

June 2016 Article

March 2017 Article

April 2017 Article

Collaborative Research Team:  Clark Hung PhD and James Cook MD

Funding Cycle: 2014-2015