Preclinical studies conducted by Professor Noble's group have shown that injection of hESC-derived chondrocytes (GRNCHND1) into damaged cartilage of the knee joint of immunocompetent rats produced well-integrated cartilage showing full repair of the lesion for at least nine months.

"The research in the U.K. has demonstrated that hESC-derived chondrocytes can generate cartilage that appears virtually indistinguishable from host tissue within months after implantation in damaged tissue in a rodent model," said Jane S. Lebkowski, Geron's senior vice president and chief scientific officer, regenerative medicine. "Current studies are being conducted in a large animal model to assess cartilage repair and function in a model resembling cartilage damage in the human knee. The next phase of the program will involve development of scaled manufacturing of the chondrocytes to support preclinical studies and eventual clinical testing."

SOURCE Geron Corporation