Washington, D.C.-based Nanochon, which has developed a 3D-printed knee implant, has raised $4 million in a seed round led by University of Virginia’s Licensing and Ventures Group Seed Fund, with participation from Michigan’s Cultivate (MD), New Hampshire’s Alumni Ventures Group, and West Virginia’s Mountain State Capital.
The company, founded in 2016, has so far raised $5.4 million. Other investors include California’s Plug and Play Tech Center, Virginia Catalyst, and Johnson & Johnson Innovation. Nanochon initially operated from the JLABS incubator in Philadelphia before relocating to another in Washington, D.C., in 2021.
Funding to Aid Trials
“We’re thrilled to close our funding round and begin our clinical program,” said Nanochon co-founder and CEO Ben Holmes, who has focused on 3D printing and nano-biomaterials since his student days. “Securing this funding is one step closer towards achieving Nanochon’s goals of eliminating the need for knee replacements, and greatly shifting the paradigm of arthritic joint care.”
Holmes earned a Ph.D. in mechanical engineering from the George Washington University’s School of Engineering & Applied Science, evaluating implants for bone growth, cartilage repair, vascular formation and cancer disease modeling. His work in the university’s tissue engineering lab led to the development of technology in use at Nanochon.
Previously Holmes served as chief technical officer at SonoStik, a startup out of George Washington University that developed a device for fast, safe administering of IV catheters for peripheral vascular access.
More Applications
Nanochon’s patented knee implant, called Chondrograft, is seen as an alternative to traditional knee replacement. The cartilage implant — made with a combination of synthetic micro/nanomaterial and 3-D printing — can be fitted with minimally invasive surgery, and helps regrow damaged cartilage and bone, obviating the need for full knee replacements, which tend to be more complicated and costlier.
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“We’ve had fantastic success in our animal studies and we’re very optimistic about future implications in human knees and other joints,” said Holmes. Nanochon plans to start a phase I trial for the device this year.
Nanochon says the synthetic material in Chondograft mimics the porosity and structure of natural collagen fibers in human cartilage. Its 3-D printed material additionally integrates with the body by absorbing blood and supporting stem cell attachment, helping form new cartilage, according to the company.
Chondograft is seen suitable for individuals under the age of 55, for whom knee replacements are not suitable because such implants have a limited life span of about 15 years. It is also targeted at people recovering from sports injuries.
