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Jim Beury

Previous BHCR Crab Trap Winner Nanochon Announces Health Canada Approval for First Human Investigation

By News, News Archive

Washington, DC, July 10 2025 – Nanochon, a Washington, DC and Baltimore, MD-based orthopedic device biotech company developing an implant for treating articular cartilage defects in the knee, is thrilled to announce that it was granted Health Canada Approval for their first in human clinical trial.NanoChon

The trial will be led by Principal Investigator, Dr. Fathi Abuzgaya, who will collaborate with Sports Medicine Specialists, Drs. Joel Lobo, Kajeandra Ravichandiran and Marcin Kowalczuk as Sub-Investigators, at the Durham Bone & Joint Specialists (DBJS), located in Ontario, Canada. Dr. Fathi Abuzgaya, is an orthopedic surgeon by training and an esteemed researcher with a track record over the last 25 years, leading +600 clinical trials in all phases and therapeutic areas.

“Our team is delighted that we are the first center to start enrolling participants for the Chondrograft™ study, which represents a novel, minimally invasive treatment for patients with loss of or damaged knee cartilage,” Dr. Abuzgaya commented. “DBJS is a multidisciplinary musculoskeletal center providing non-operative and operative treatments with accessibility to a variety of sub-specialties. Our study site with dedicated researchers enables greater, more efficient patient recruitment for clinical research and we are privileged to support Nanochon.”

The Nanochon Chondrograft™ System is being evaluated in a prospective, 10 patient, early feasibility study for use in knee cartilage restoration in eligible patients between 22 and 60 years of age having femoral condyle and /or trochlea articular cartilage lesions who have failed conservative therapy, in addition to meeting other criteria. The study is designed to assess the safety and performance of Chondrograft™, and procedural goals include regrowth of the cartilage-bone matrix, improvement in knee function and pain, and delayed need for arthroplasty.

“Achieving Health Canada approval allows us to gain the clinical data needed to take a giant step forward towards design and execution of a large pivotal North American study” said Ben Holmes, CEO of Nanochon. “We have the utmost confidence in Dr. Abuzgaya and his clinical team at DBJS to help us recruit the right patients and execute the trial protocol that we have so carefully designed.”

While the first in human trial will take place in Canada, this represents just the first step towards a larger clinical program.

“Thousands of patients with chondral defects, that may evolve to osteoarthritis, live with a reduced quality of life. We are looking forward to the potential for a new treatment option and are excited to begin the Chondrograft™ study at DBJS”, states Dr. Joel Lobo.  “The results of this study could open up a new surgical option, that is minimally invasive to address this unmet clinical need.”

Throughout the clinical trial design and regulatory approval process, Nanochon was supported by HN Clinical Consulting (Missouri). “Improving the lives of young adults and athletes by providing a solution to restore knee cartilage and hopefully help patients avoid costly knee replacement is a crucial therapy needed in the orthopedic world,” said Heather Neill, Founder and Principal. “We appreciate Health Canada’s thought-provoking questions throughout their review that helped us put forward the strongest application possible, which ultimately led to our approval.” HN Clinical Consulting will continue to support the full life cycle of Chondrograft™.

About HN Clinical Consulting

HN Clinical Consulting, LLC, brings a strategic focus to each project, keeping the goal of commercialization in sight. Building strong relationships with all stakeholders and maintaining a clinical strategic goal of project-oriented success to support long term Sponsor strategy/exit is key to development of clinical programs.  The objective set is to stay ahead by planning for podium presence, publication, and reimbursement while designing the Clinical Investigational Plan.

About Nanochon

Nanochon is a biotech and medical device company focused on developing innovative orthopedic solutions. Chondrograft™ is a minimally-invasive implant that allows for immediate weight-bearing and motion – meaning less time spent recovering. The implant is based on research from the Tissue Engineering and Nanotechnology lab at the George Washington University, and is designed to integrate with healthy tissue over time, for maximum stability and benefit to the patient. Nanochon has the potential to deliver more successful and longer-lasting recovery for patients than current standard of care. Our mission is to develop a new approach to treat cartilage treatment so that the hundreds of thousands of young, active patients with joint damage can return to their lifestyles without undergoing costly and invasive short-term fixes.

www.nanochon.com

Contact

Rachel Offenburg, Chief of Strategy

rachel.offenburg@nanochon.com

TDR: BioHealth Capital Region Forum: A recap of innovation and collaboration

By Uncategorized

TDR: BioHealth Capital Region Forum: A recap of innovation and collaboration

The 2024 BioHealth Capital Region Forum (BHCRF) once again solidified its position as the premier gathering for the life sciences industry in the region. Marking the tenth year of the impactful event,  hundreds of industry leaders, government officials, academic researchers and investors were brought together to discuss the latest trends, challenges and opportunities in the field.

A well-oiled collaboration

It takes a village to plan and manage a forum. The BioHealth Capital Region (BHCR) Conference planning committee collaborated with sponsors including TEDCO and event management from Taylor Made Experience to ensure an organized, engaging event.

TEDCO’s chief investment officer Jack Miner praised the BioHealth region and forum, noting “This region is probably the most functional in terms of sharing resources, not diluting each other’s efforts…the entrepreneurs really benefit a lot from the collaboration that’s been created in this region, and that’s really unique.”

Richard Bendis, founder, president, and CEO of BHI agreed, stating “We’re proud to have TEDCO as a collaborator who is funding a lot of the early-stage life science companies in the state of Maryland that actually are participants in this event.”

Regional collaboration, investment, and funding

The forum demonstrated a growing emphasis on regional collaboration, welcoming Maryland Governor Wes Moore and Virginia Governor Glenn Younkin, setting the tone for collaborative discussions in the DC, Maryland and Virginia (DMV) region.

Kicking off the event, Governor Moore highlighted Maryland’s significant investments in the sector, including 54,000 jobs, 3,600 labs and offices and the largest concentration of PhDs and MDs in the country. Governor Youngkin complimented this dedication by emphasizing Virginia’s commitment to fostering research and development through investments of $110 million.

Over the course of different panels throughout the event allowed investors and entrepreneurs to discuss challenges and opportunities associated with the current funding landscape, strategies for attracting capital, and the role of government funding programs.

In a regional panel focused on SSBCI funding, Miner noted that he along with investment professionals from across the region including Nick Duafala of KStreet Ventures in Washington, D.C. and Tom Weithman of Virginia Innovation Partnership Corporation (VIPC), continue their commitment to “focus on the founder and the company’s best interest first and the geographic location second.”

Click here to continue reading.

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