ISTO’s Fusion Osteobiologic Granted Patent (Walter Eisner @ OTW)
The U.S. Patent Office has issued a fundamental U.S. patent for the technology on which St. Louis-based ISTO Technologies, Inc.’s InQu Bone Graft Extender & Substitute is based. The product is a molecular entanglement of hyaluronic acid and a synthetic polymer to create a three-dimensional scaffold with a cell-friendly environment for bone growth.
The U.S. patent (No. 8,192,759, “Matrix Made of Polyester Polymers Entangled with Hyaluronic Polymers Useful for Supporting Tissue Repair”), filed in July 2005 and granted on June 5, 2012, covers the unique biosynthetic structure of ISTO’s product. The inventors are company President and CEO Mitchell Seyedin, Ph.D., and Robert Spiro.
Patent Abstract
The Abstract for the patent states:
The present application discloses matrix compositions to support the repair of tissue defects such as an osteochondral injury. A matrix described herein comprises a polyester polymer entangled with a polysaccharide polymer. Also disclosed are methods of preparing a matrix, and methods of using a matrix in the repair of tissue. In certain configurations, a matrix can comprise polyester cross-linked with a polysaccharide, which can be an oxidized polysaccharide. In some configurations, a matrix can further comprise one or more additional components, such as a growth factor.
InQu
InQu is a platform technology for tissue regeneration and is used primarily as an osteobiologic product in spinal fusion applications and is manufactured and marketed in a variety of forms–granules, paste, putty and strip–to meet surgeons’ needs for a variety of surgical applications. Hyaluronic acid is a biological molecule with multiple functions not shared by other biomaterials, such as collagen-based products or mineral-based ceramics that have traditionally been used for bone regeneration. InQu has received 510(k) clearances as a bone graft extender and substitute, and since its launch in 2008, it has been used in over 17,000 orthopedic and spinal procedures to date.
Seyedin said the patent further protects and solidifies the company’s leadership position in leveraging the properties of hyaluronic acid for orthopedic biologic applications. “We intend to further build on the 17,000 procedures to date to provide more patients and surgeons with our cost-effective, safe and efficacious product,” according to the June 5 news release.