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Potential breakthrough technology for stem-cell based bone replacement

NEW YORK, May 22, 2019 /PRNewswire/ — EpiBone, Inc. today announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has granted its Investigational New Drug (IND) clearance to proceed with a Phase 1/2 clinical trial of its lead bone product EpiBone-Craniomaxillofacial (EB-CMF), as a potential treatment for ramus continuity defects in the mandible. The ramus is a key component of the jaw bone which attaches to the muscles associated with chewing.

EB-CMF is a living anatomically correct bone graft manufactured from a patient’s own adipose derived stem cells. This eliminates the need to harvest bone from a patient’s body, potentially reducing pain, surgical and hospitalization time while creating a precision fit with the defect.

To the thrill of everyone involved, it worked.

“We saw some evidence of elimination of the tumor, as well as some evidence of the immune system crowding in,” said Dr. Keith Knutson, from the Mayo Clinic Jacksonville.

Knutson said Mercker’s results were, essentially, what their team had hoped the vaccine would do as it developed out, but it was happening in their very first human test subject.